


Charmed: Generation Z

by PrinceofSpaceGays5



Series: Charmed: Generation Z [1]
Category: Charmed (TV 1998)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Charmed (TV) Fusion, Brotherhood, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Character Death, College Setting, Coming Out, Coming of Age, Demonic Possession, Drug Use, Dubious Consent, F/M, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Fatherhood, Gay Romance, Gay Sex, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, M/M, Marriage, Multi-Era, Multiple Relationships, Next Generation, Parenthood, Past life, Post-Canon, Sex Work, Shooting, Straight Romance, Sudden Character Death, Time Skips, Underage Drinking, bisexual romance, charmed original series and reboot crossover, comics non canon, dark future, dark timeline, high school setting, psychedelics, school setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:15:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 45
Words: 318,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23287627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceofSpaceGays5/pseuds/PrinceofSpaceGays5
Summary: After Piper, Phoebe, and Paige came out victorious in the Ultimate Battle, they lived a relatively peaceful existence as they started their families. Now, the day finally arrived where Piper and Leo's teenage sons, Wyatt, Chris, and Joey, are set to inherit the legacy of the Charmed Ones.But will Wyatt, Chris, and Joey stand a chance now that the demons learned the mistakes of their predecessors? Or will these brothers' failure spell certain doom for the Halliwell bloodline and the end of good magic?
Relationships: Chris Halliwell/Bianca, Chris Halliwell/Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Wyatt Halliwell/Original Female Character(s), Wyatt Halliwell/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Charmed: Generation Z [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2144196
Comments: 168
Kudos: 24





	1. Something Wicca Comes Again

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! I've had this story burning in my head for a while now so I decided to go ahead and post it since my town is starting to go under quarantine and my university/job is going online.
> 
> Anywho, a few notes before we begin. I gave Piper three sons instead because I wanted to see her as the mom of all boys. Sorry, Melinda. I played with the ages of everyone too, pushing them back since the starting year for the story is 2020, so that means characters like Wyatt and Chris were born two years sooner. Also, I reduced the number of kids the sisters end up having to make things a bit more manageable. And, this fic takes place in a universe where the comics didn't happen. I may pull plot lines and characters from the comics like Neena, but that isn't decided yet. Also, there isn't a clear end for the fic yet. Think of each chapter as an episode in the show instead of a book. I plan on taking the brothers from young/late teens all the way into their 20s, possibly even into the start of the 30s for Wyatt and Chris. And as a warning, there will be gay sex scenes in later chapters, but it'll be a while and it won't involve any of the underaged characters.
> 
> Now! I hope you enjoy. Kudos and comments are much appreciated

It took everything Joey Halliwell had not to gag.

The cheap beer tasted like a noxious cocktail of what sweaty gym socks and piss smell like. He could barely stomach the stuff and regretted drinking any of it. But being surrounded by high school kids, this was the best they could do.

At least the beer numbed the headache he spent the last three days nursing. If only it could go away already. He thought it would make the party a little more tolerable.

It wasn’t that he hated everyone or was some angsty, indie kid like on Riverdale. He actually didn’t have a problem with most people, but this was a very Adore Delano moment for him. He didn’t belong here. 

This was a Tony Costa house party, which meant plenty of aggressive jocks and cheerleaders with serious daddy issues. Seriously, the daddy issues were strong with some of them, and these boys knew they could use that to their advantage. And the place was overcrowded as was for such a small house.

The only reason Joey was even here was to look after his cousin, PJ. She had to try out for the cheerleader team and make it on the freshman squad. And she had to get invited to this party. And she had to ask Joey, of course, since he was the only one would even consider agreeing to come.

His brother, Chris, hated everything that dealt with high school, while their cousin, Hank, wasn’t a fan of high school parties either. Plus, they were both seniors and there were too many freshmen at this party. Whereas Wyatt already graduated so he wouldn’t be caught dead in a high school party, while Tamora and Paulina were too young for one.

After drinking that nasty ass beer, Joey needed water. He grabbed the first sealed water bottle he could find and chugged. The water helped, but it didn’t erase everything.

Joey groaned before putting on a happy face. It didn’t take too much effort on his part to seem like he blended in with the crowd. He had a cute enough face, although it was softer than the other boys. He also had soft, hazel eyes like Wyatt, but had chocolatey-brown hair like Chris. And while he was skinny as a pole, he knew how to dress stylishly enough to catch attention. He kept it simple with a sparkly long-sleeve and a pair of fitted jeans.

Joey stepped out of the kitchen and back into the crowd, where he found PJ surrounded. She appeared safe at first since there was only one guy, and the rest were girls. He took his sweet time catching up when he overheard a group of guys talking about her.

“That PJ chick is pretty cute.”

“You think she’s down?”

“Try it.” Joey smirked at the boys as he waved at them. “She’s got me and three older cousins who would kick your ass. And our uncle is a cop.”

The boys gulped as they nodded and backed very far away.

Joey sipped his water as he went over to PJ, who caught the tail-end of what he told the boys.

PJ, like her sister Paulina, was the spitting image of their mom. Every time Joey saw old family photos, he could tell that they were Aunt Phoebe’s daughters. PJ had the same long, dark hair and soft brown eyes. She was also just as friendly as Phoebe, but she knew how to charm everyone like her dad, his Uncle Coop.

PJ tilted her head over to whisper at Joey. The strap of her violet dress sliding slightly over the shoulder. “Be nice to the boys here. You don’t want to cast a spell over them accidentally.”

“You should worry more about your charms,” whispered Joey. “You’re the one with Cupid-blood.”

PJ smirked. She brushed her hair over her ear. “Right. Just be nice. I know this isn’t your scene.”

“I am nice.” Joey kept smiling. He took a sip of water. “So, Brad, are you excited about the season? I heard you got bumped to a starter for the JV team.”

A bulky, blond-headed boy started to smile. “Yeah. It’s awesome. Coach Richards thinks I got what it takes to pay for college football, so this is my chance to prove it before I try out for varsity next year.”

“Well, good luck with that.” Joey acted sincerely. Not that he cared in the slightest about Brad or the football team. He only wanted to show off to PJ that he could hang.

PJ had no choice but to go along with it too. She showed no trouble in keeping the conversation going as she was a whiz when it came to be the most sociable at a party. Her fellow cheerleaders and Brad laughed as things kept going.

Joey did his part to participate when someone bumped into him from behind. It didn’t bother him at first since the place was packed. However, something caused his body to tense up. He closed his eyes and saw a static image, but it faded before it could clear. Whatever it was that happened, it made his headache even worse than before.

Joey rubbed his forehead, and noticeably seemed in pain.

“You okay, bro?” asked Brad.

“Joey?” PJ leaned over to him. “What’s wrong?”

Joey shook his head. “It’s a bad headache. Probably from the cheap beer.”

Brad nodded. “Yeah, this is garbage beer.”

PJ kept close. “You sure? Do you want me to call us a ride so we can go?”

“No. You’re having a good time. I can get home by myself. We’re not too far. I can get home in like twenty minutes.”

“If you’re sure,” said PJ. “Otherwise, I’ll go with you.”

“I’m fine. You have fun.” Joey waved at the rest of them. “See y’all at school.”

“Bye, Joey.” 

*~*

It was starting to get dark now.

Joey could feel his headache getting worse with every step that he took. He lacked Whitelighter-blood like his older brothers that meant he couldn’t orb. And it wasn’t like his active powers could help since Wyatt inherited the power to freeze time while Chris got telekinesis. Whereas Joey inherited premonition from Melinda Warren, which his mom and aunts had bound when he was still a kid, so it wasn’t like that would do him any good. Now, if he at least had a teleportation potion, then he could be home already. He could use his emergency card to get himself a ride, but he didn’t have the patience for that and knew it would take longer with traffic. 

He tried to breathe through the pain, but his head showed no mercy. It didn’t make sense why his brain was lashing out against him. He always drank plenty of water, and his diet was impeccable since his mom, Piper was a top-notch chef. He had to wonder if the San Francisco water was too lead-heavy for their filters to purify. 

It was either that, or he had cancer. And given how prone he was to overreacting, the irrational part of his brain kept telling him it was cancer.

He walked uphill as he got closer to Halliwell Manor. He wanted nothing more than to crawl into his bed and try to sleep it off. Maybe he could convince his mom to cast a spell to heal him since Chris didn’t know how to heal, and begging Wyatt for healing wasn’t really an option.

Wyatt moved out during the summer to live with his bandmates across town. Nothing would stop “Dying Liberty” from making it to the big time, including parental rules. Hell, Joey found it horrifying to think how close Wyatt was from getting disowned when he announced he wasn’t going to college after all. 

If their mom could’ve used the Power of Three on her own to force Wyatt to go to school, then she would’ve done that with their dad, Leo’s support. Luckily for everyone, Phoebe and Paige could work their magic to get cooler heads to prevail. Wyatt stilled moved out to live with his bandmates, but he agreed to get an auto mechanic certification so he would have something to fall back on in case music didn’t work out.

Joey took a left turn and was about three blocks away from home when the headache got worse. His knees buckled, and he grabbed his head. He massaged his head to release some of the tensions, but it wasn’t enough to fix the problem.

“Son of a bitch!” Joey bit his lip. “Kill me already.” 

“You okay, kid?” An older man approached Joey from the other side of the sidewalk. He didn’t appear threatening as he seemed genuinely concerned. “You’re not tripping out on something, are you? Do I need to call an ambulance.”

Joey shook his head. “No. It’s just a bad headache. A really painful one.”

“Okay. Are you sure?” When Joey nodded his head, regretting that choice since it made his head hurt more, the older man shrugged. He reached out to pat Joey on the arm. “Well, take care.”

In that split second, Joey felt another painful jolt like he did at the party. Except for this time, he saw a clear picture in his mind. He saw the older man helping him step off the sidewalk and stray too close to traffic only to get hit by a speeding car. 

The image faded, but it’s memory lingered. “Wait!” Joey grabbed the man’s arm to keep him from going any further. The man didn’t make it off the sidewalk, and it came as a blessing as the speeding car drove right by them. 

The man stood there with his eyes-wide-open as he slowly turned back to face Joey. “Holy shit! Thanks, kid. You totally just saved my life.”

Joey nodded as he watched the man walk off, leaving him alone to process what happened. 

And in the process, he felt his headache get slightly better, but there was a new pain that left his legs feeling numb. He moved towards the nearest building to keep himself standing as he realized that he had a premonition. A real premonition.

“That shouldn’t be possible. Unless...my powers are unsealing themself.” Joey flinched as he had a new headache thanks to his first real premonition. He went into his pocket to grab his phone. “I need help.” 

Joey took a deep breath to help him stomach the pain before making the call. He waited for the phone to ring twice before he finally answered. “Wyatt, I need you.”

*~*

“Fuck.”

Wyatt stumbled out of his bed and nearly smacked his head against his nightstand. He groaned into his phone while snatching a green, flannel shirt from the floor. “No, Joey, I wasn’t talking about you. I almost smacked my head.” He put the shirt on as he softened his voice. “Okay. So mom’s at the restaurant and dad’s busy with the club. And why can’t Chris get you?”

Wyatt buttoned the shirt before looking for a pair of jeans. He grinned when he found them slung over a chair. 

His bedroom was a complete disaster. Clean and dirty were scattered across the floor and the furniture he took when he moved out. It appeared rather stereotypical of an eighteen-year-old man’s bedroom, but at least he could proudly say he didn’t use beer cans or liquor bottles as decoration. He let his band and movie posters handle that job. 

“Chris is at the movies? With friends? Hank doesn’t count.” Wyatt listened as Joey listed off other names. “Holy shit! Chris does have friends. Well, good for him.”

Wyatt zipped his jeans and grabbed his wallet and keys from his desk. On top of it was a framed photo of him with Chris and Joey at the water park when they were little kids. “No. Joey, it’s fine. I can orb in and get you. So what’s going on again?”

Joey explained what happened, which made Wyatt nearly drop his phone.

“You had a premonition,” Wyatt whispered so his roommates couldn’t hear. They didn’t exactly have the talk about him being a witch or a Whitelighter. “That’s not possible. Mom didn’t unbind your active power.” He listened as Joey explained the sensation that he felt and saved a man from getting hit by a car. “Well, that does sound like how Aunt Phoebe describes her premonitions. Shit! What does this mean for us?”

Wyatt shook his head. “Forget it. We’ll deal with that later. I’m coming to get you. You’re at the Starbucks on 32nd and Kennedy? Give me like five minutes.”

Wyatt hung up and ran out of his bedroom to find his roommates scattered across the living room as they played Overwatch. Wyatt ignored Steven, Gordon, and Vinny as they begged him to join them in the game.

They moved towards the edge of the city, where it was somewhat possible for them to afford a four-bedroom apartment. Actually, Vinny’s parents covered half of the rent costs since they were loaded while the guys shared the other half of rent and all the other costs too. And, technically, it was a three-bedroom apartment, but there was a weird space that they used as a tiny bedroom for Steven.

“Bro, where you going?” asked Steven Lang, their lead vocalist. 

Wyatt smirked. “Joey isn’t feeling so good, so I’m going to take care of him until the parents get home.”

Gordon Hu, their drummer, frowned. “Aw, poor baby brother. I can call my parents’ restaurant to have some soup delivered. That shit cures everything.” 

“Thanks, man, but it’s not that kind of sick. He’s got a migraine.”

Vinny Ricci, their bassist, cringed at the thought. “Sucks for him. You want to give him one of my edibles?”

Wyatt laughed as he grabbed his shoes. “Not a chance. My parents are pissed enough at me. The last thing I need to do is get caught giving the baby drugs.”

“Suit yourself.” Vinny pinched a piece of the brown sitting on the table. 

Gordon squinted his eyes. “You’re really going to play and get high?”

“Best of both worlds.”

Wyatt waved them off as he left them to their game. He started walking down the hallway to make sure the coast was clear before he orbed. A swirl of white and blue orbs gathered around his body, teleporting him across town.

Within a few minutes, Wyatt reappeared in an alleyway close to the Starbucks. Wyatt slipped around the corner to find Joey sitting at the patio area with a cup of hot tea. Joey purposely sat further away from everyone so as not to risk triggering another premonition so suddenly after his first one.

“There you are.” Wyatt walked over to get Joey’s attention. Joey got up from the table and started to follow Wyatt into the alleyway. “How are you feeling now?”

Joey slicked his hair back. “Like I got punched in the head. Is it always going to feel like this?”

Wyatt shrugged. “Don’t know. Even with all my powers, premonitions aren’t one of them.” He wrapped an arm over Joey’s shoulder. “Let’s get you home.”

Orbs surrounded them as they teleported across town once more to Halliwell Manor.

*~*

The home of the Halliwell family was as cozy as ever and in far better condition thanks to the lack of demon attacks over the recent years. Most of the Underworld finally took the hint to stay away from the Charmed Ones after they vanquished the Triad almost fifteen years ago.

The grandfather clock ticked while Wyatt came back from the kitchen with an ice pack.

Joey laid on a couch in the sunroom. He still sipped away at his tea while he wrapped himself in a blanket.

“Need anything else?” Wyatt handed over the ice pack and took a seat. 

“I think I’m better now. The healing took care of most of the pain.”

Wyatt wiggled his fingers as they bore a golden glow. “Glad my magic hands could help.”

Joey chuckled. They went back to watching an episode of Stranger Things when a group of orbs gathered in the sunroom.

This time, Chris appeared with their parents in tow. 

Piper tossed her purse onto the table as she rushed over to Joey. The mom switch went on overdrive as she started to check his temperature and any weird growths. “Oh, my poor baby. How are you doing?”

“Better, mom. Wyatt already healed me.”

Leo patted Wyatt on the shoulder. “Thanks for taking care of your brother, bud.”

“Not a problem.” Wyatt drank his soda. “But I think we have bigger problems. Joey did tell you what happened.”

Chris fell onto the sofa next to Joey. “You sure you had a premonition?”

“Clear as day,” said Joey. “My headaches these couple of days were visions trying come through. I could feel visions coming, but the spell that you and the aunties cast kept blocking them, but today it finally happened.”

Piper frowned. “I had no idea our spell would cause you so much pain. We thought binding your active powers, but allowing you to use magic, in general, would be enough, but it looks like we were wrong. If your powers are breaking the spell, then we should remove the binding. I'll give Phoebe and Paige a call so they can come over first thing tomorrow.”

“Thanks.”

Chris turned over to Leo. “But it was a Power of Three spell that bound Joey’s powers. How can his powers break free on their own? Is that even possible?” Wyatt agreed since he was thinking the same thing.

Leo shrugged. “I haven’t been a Whitelighter or an Elder in a long time, so I couldn’t tell you precisely why. But if I had to take a guess, Joey being able to fight a Power of Three spell might have to do with the both of you too. You, boys, will become the new Charmed Ones, so you all may have a natural resistance to Power of Three spells. Joey’s magic might’ve finally grown to the point where those types of spells won’t be as effective on him anymore.”

Wyatt jumped from his chair. “So does that mean we’re going to be the Charmed Ones from now on?”

“Not right away,” said Leo, “but it’ll happen sooner than later.”

“Great.” Joey threw the blanket off him and started to make his way towards the stairs. “I’m going to bed.”

Piper craned her head, gesturing Leo to follow. She groaned as she got back on her feet. “Wyatt, thank you for taking care of Joey. And I have some leftovers for you to take to the guys. I made fried chicken yesterday and kind of overdid it.”

“Overdid it is an understatement.” Chris burped as the amount of chicken Piper made almost gave him heartburn. “She basically opened her own Popeyes franchise.”

“Score!” Wyatt followed Piper into the kitchen. “I’m always happy to take food with me.”

*~*

Chris knocked on Joey’s door before stepping inside to find Joey sitting on his bed and staring at his phone. Chris handed a plate of buttered toast over since Piper sent him up here.

Joey’s room was freakishly neat, unlike Chris’s room, but at least Chris could take pride that his room wasn’t a disaster like Wyatt’s room. Joey’s bed sat between the arch of the windows with his dressers and desk on opposite ends. He had a corkboard filled with pictures of the family and his friends. 

One of the pictures being the same waterpark picture that Wyatt had on his desk, which Chris also had a copy of on his nightstand. 

“You okay now?” asked Chris as he gave Joey the toast and sat next to him.

“A little.” Joey took a bite of his toast. “I’m more freaked out now. I figured that when I’d get my active powers back, that meant becoming a Charmed One was right around the corner.”

Chris nodded. “But it’s different when you were picturing it years from then. It’s less abstract and more tangible now.” 

Joey cut the toast in half as he nodded. “Exactly. Does this mean we’re going to lead lives like mom and the aunties? Should we brace ourselves for one of us dying like Aunt Prue? Or find out we have a long-lost brother, or sister, like Aunt Paige?”

Chris chuckled. “I don’t think we have to worry about that last part. Aunt Paige is a one in a million situation.”

“Fine. Then what about one of us dating and marrying a demon like Aunt Phoebe?”

“That one is probably on the table.” Wyatt stood at the doorway with a smirk on his face. He strolled into Joey’s room and crashed onto the bed with them. He snatched Joey’s other piece of toast only to have Joey slap it from his hand. “Rude. But I don’t think we should freak out about becoming the Charmed Ones yet or even having the same adventures as mom and the aunties.” 

Wyatt licked the butter from his fingers then rubbed his fingers dry on Chris’s jeans. Chris smacked Wyatt’s hand too. “Most of the demonic hierarchy got wiped out. The Source, Cole, the Triad, Zankou, and just about every other major demon in the Book of Shadows is rotting in the Demonic Wasteland. We’ll probably be fighting weak mutts that haven’t been killed off yet.”

Joey shrugged. “That almost sounds comforting.”

“I’m the oldest, that's my job.” Wyatt kissed Joey’s forehead before rolling out of bed. “Alright, I need to get home. I got to feed the band before their pot munchies caused them to eat everything else. Night, bro.”

“Night, Wyatt. Thanks for the save.”

Chris got off the bed. “I’ll walk you out. And, Joey, let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Chris.”

Chris closed the door and followed Wyatt down the hallway. When they were out of earshot, Chris grabbed onto Wyatt’s wrist.

Chris sighed as he looked Wyatt in the eyes. “Did you mean that? When we become the Charmed Ones, do you really think it’ll be that easy for us?”

Wyatt frowned. He stepped a little closer to Chris to make sure Joey couldn’t hear them. “I want to, but I know it’s going to be bad. Just as we spend years growing, so have the demons. We don’t know what to expect or how well the demons regrouped since the Triad got vanquished.” He shook his head. “Joey’s getting his active powers back and he’s going to have visions of demon attacks and people dying constantly. I didn’t want to scare him right away.”

Chris smirked. “You’re actually pretty thoughtful.”

Wyatt winked at him. “Finally, you learn to appreciate my awesomeness.”

“And you ruined the moment.” Chris made his way downstairs with Wyatt chasing after him.

*~*

Sunday at Halliwell manor turned into a family brunch as it wasn’t enough to unbind Joey’s powers, but they needed to turn it into a full-blown family function. Everyone came over and flooded the house. Phoebe and Coop arrived with PJ and Paulina, while Paige and Henry brought Hank and Tamora with them. 

Tamora ate her eggs while sketching her drawing as she sat next to Paulina, who was busy reading one of the Percy Jackson books. At thirteen, they were the youngest of the cousins at thirteen and got along very well since they kept to themselves more so than the others. 

Hank talked with Chris about the movie that they saw with their friends. Wyatt still found it odd that Chris had friends, but figured it was Hank’s influence since Chris was too awkward to really be sociable with anyone outside the family.

Unlike everyone else, Hank didn’t resemble anyone in the family since he was adopted. His mom was killed by a Darklighter not long after he was born, so his dad, a crook, briefly raised him before falling for a demonic scheme that got himself killed. Hank knew enough about his biological family, but it didn’t matter to him. After all, his father hadn't bothered to name him in the two years that he raised him. So as far as he was concerned, he was Henry “Hank” Mitchell, Jr., and that’s how it was always going to be.

PJ kept hugging Joey to apologize for dragging him to the party.

“If I knew it was your powers torturing you, then I wouldn’t have begged you to come along,” said PJ. “And I wouldn’t have told you to drink beer with me.”

“Prudence Joanna, there was beer at the party!” Phoebe screamed. 

PJ gulped. “No, there wasn’t. Who told you that lie? Was it Paulina?”

Paulina kicked PJ’s leg. “Don’t drag me down with you.”

Coop coughed as he squeezed Phoebe’s hand. “We’ll talk about this later, PJ.” 

“Busted,” whispered Tamora as she kept working on her sketch.

“Quit pouring gas into the fire, Tamora,” said Paige.

Hank grinned. “The little firestarter likes causing trouble.”

Henry pointed at Hank. “Don’t you start too.”

“Yes, sir.”

The rambling continued for a while as kids got in trouble, while parents got annoyed. It felt very typical of a Halliwell, family gathering. Except, all that was missing was the ghosts of relatives.

Instead, they got Leo coming into the house with a much older, Victor Bennett, slowly walking towards the table. 

“Gramps!” shouted the kids.

Piper went over to help Victor to the table. “I’m glad you could make it, dad.”

“Of course.” Victor was still strong enough to get around most places on his own, but since he was well into his seventies, his age started to make things harder. “My favorite grandson is getting his powers back.”

“Hey!” shouted Wyatt, Chris, and even Hank. While Hank and Tamora weren’t biologically related, Victor was the closest thing they had to a grandfather. And considering how much of his daughters lives that he missed, Victor welcomed every grandchild with open arms.

Victor chuckled. “You know I’m just pulling your legs, boys.”

Brunch continued until the family demolished everything that Piper made, with Chris and Leo’s help.

They finally gathered in the sunroom where they would release Joey’s active powers.

It was a tight fit, but they always found a way to make sure everyone could fit.

Joey stood across from Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. He had Wyatt and Chris behind him just in case the spell rebounded since none of them were sure what to expect. 

Paige smirked as she brushed her dark hair over her shoulder. “You sure about this, kiddo? You’re not going to get a second chance.”

“I don’t think I have much of a choice, Aunt Paige,” said Joey. “These powers are ready to come out.”

Phoebe nodded. “Yeah, if we don’t do this soon, then the headaches are going to get worse. Not that it’ll be a cakewalk. We’ll talk more about premonitions.”

“Okay.” Piper took out a sheet of paper. “Are we ready?”

However, before they could recite the spell, white and blue orbs gathered to form a man who looked very familiar to Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo.

Paige stepped back. “Brody?”

Kyle Brody smiled. The former Homeland Security agent turned Whiteligther, and Paige’s ex-boyfriend stood in the sunroom and started to wave at everyone. “Hey, Paige. It’s been a while.” After an Avatar killed him, the Elders made Brody into a Whitelighter. And while Brody got the chance to say goodbye to Paige, they largely hadn’t seen each other since that day as the Elders always made sure their paths never crossed.

Until now.

Henry walked over to Paige since he heard enough about Brody and found himself nervous about why he was here.

“Why are you here?” asked Phoebe. “Not that we don’t want you here, but we’re kind of in the middle of something.”

Brody nodded. “That’s why I’m here. The Elders wanted me to fill you in on some things before you go through with unsealing Joey’s powers.”

Piper took a deep breath. The Elders and her have never been on good terms, and she was prepared to punch them in the face if they were out to harm Joey. “What is that? Do they not want us to unbind his powers?”

“No, they agree with your decision since there isn’t much of a choice.” Brody took a deep breath. “They just wanted me to warn you first. Once Joey has all of his powers back, that means Wyatt, Chris, and him are fully able to inherit the Power of Three.”

“We expected that,” said Leo. 

“But there are conditions with it. The Power of Three can only be held by one generation. Should the boys recite a Power of Three spell, then they officially inherit the destiny and duties of the Charmed Ones. And for you, three, that means you’ll no longer be Charmed.”

Paige’s jaw hung open for a moment before she fully processed what Brody said. “We won’t be the Charmed Ones anymore?”

Brody shook his head. “It’ll become the boys’ responsibility to battle the demons.” He crossed his arms over his chest and braced himself since he knew them well enough that they would take the next bit of news either well or very poorly. “In light of everything that’s happened, the Elders wanted to show an act of good faith in ensuring that the boys and the rest of your children won’t be put through the same obstacles as you did. So they assigned me as their Whitelighter.”

Piper chuckled and groaned. “Of course, they did. No offense, Brody. You’re great. But the Elders.”

“Pissed you off a lot.” Brody nodded. “I’m aware. That’s why every other Whitelighter basically made it very clear they don’t want the job so the Elders have no choice but to use me since it wouldn’t exactly be fair for Paige to be the family Whitelighter.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” said Paige.

Phoebe sighed. “Well, at least we know who their Whitelighter is. It’s not like we’re getting a stranger.”

“Cool.” Joey interrupted them as he waved his arms. “I appreciate the information and the new Whitelighter, but can we get back to focusing on me? Today’s my day, and Brody is stealing my thunder.”

Wyatt patted Joey’s back. “Easy, drama queen. Nobody forgot about you.”

Piper nodded. “Right. Let’s do this.” 

Paige and Phoebe leaned over as they began to recite the spell together. “Return what was bound. Unseal what we took. By Charmed decree. Grant this witch his awakening.”

Light arose from beneath Joey’s feet and washed over him. His eyes glowed white as he fell back with Chris and Wyatt responding quickly to catch him before he could crash to the ground.

Piper tossed the paper aside as she rushed over to Joey.

Brody was quick to follow. He moved his hand over Joey with golden light arising to heal what little damage the spell did. “It’s mostly mystical whiplash. He’ll be fine,” he said assuringly.

“Joey, can you hear me?” asked Piper. “How are you feeling?”

Joey’s eyes started to flutter. He groaned while he adjusted himself enough to get comfortable even with Chris and Wyatt holding onto him. Every part of his body felt ignited with adrenaline as he felt different.

No, different wasn’t the right word.

“I feel...complete.” 

*~*

In a dark corner of the Underworld, a demon worked on her unholy craft. The demonic seer, Zurie, pulled a potion vial filled with green liquid from her shelf. Her ebony locks fell over her shoulders while she tossed the liquid into the nearby cauldron. She went to seek out more ingredients for her potion when a sudden chill caught her attention. 

The wards she placed became active as a power shift occurred on Earth. 

Smoke boiled over from the cauldron with Zurie beaming with joy. She folded her arms over her torn, scarlet dress and swayed the buzzing sensation. Her sapphire eyes turned pure white as the future unfolded before her eyes.

“It finally begins,” she whispered. “The torch passed. A new generation rises. Oh, what a tragic mistake you made, Halliwells. You did exactly what I wanted.”

Zurie leaned over the cauldron. She waved a hand over it to get a clearer image. The smoke parted with the liquid showing the reflection of Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. Zurie cackled in her lair as the time was here. 

“You kept me waiting long enough, little witches. Now, the real fun can begin.” 

Zurie turned to a warped mirror with a red frame that resembled demon claws. She stared into her reflection as it started to ripple. “Send this message out to the Inner Circle. The dawn of the new Charmed Ones is finally here. Prepare for war.”


	2. Demons at the Gate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! I'm glad there are people already interested in the fic. I'll keep on posting, but my updating my get a bit more scattered. Blame Persona 5 Royal. I started playing and it's already consuming my life.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!

Joey sat in homeroom with PJ sitting next to him. They went to the same private school as did Chris and Hank, which was really only a private school in name since it functioned about the same as any other public high school. The school only got the chance to be pickier with the number of students it enrolled.

Since it hardly acted differently than a public school, it showed with the class chatting mindlessly since their teacher wasn’t around to bark any orders to them, which worked perfectly. Despite Snapping each other every day, Joey and PJ acted like they hadn’t talked to each other in weeks.

In the days that followed regaining his active powers, Joey found the adjustment period not quite as rough as he initially expected. He thought he’d have premonitions every minute of the day to make up for all the years of not having visions. However, he was lucky to have only one vision a day.

PJ sipped her ice coffee while she ignored the creepy nerd behind her. Her Cupid powers allowed her to pick up on the passionate vibes of others, and she could pick up on the aura the nerd projected. Even after swapping seats with someone else, the distance did nothing to calm him down.

PJ picked at the muffin she brought with her from home. “Where is Mrs. Ray? She’s never this late to homeroom.”

Joey nodded. “It is unlike her, but it’s even weirder for you to notice or care.”

“That’s what happens when you’re grounded. All your senses become heightened.” 

Joey chuckled. “Clearly, going to the party was a bad idea.”

“But it was so much fun.” PJ groaned. She pushed her desk a little closer to Joey. “You’re lucky that your parents are too busy freaking about you having active powers again that you didn’t get grounded too.”

“It pays to be the baby of the house.” Joey grabbed PJ’s ice coffee to take a sip. She smacked his arm to reclaim the coffee. “Well, next time you know better than to confess about drinking. Let your mom figure it out since she’s an empath.”

PJ shushed Joey. “Not so loud, dumbass.”

Joey rolled his eyes. Nobody paid them any attention, aside from the nerd staring at PJ, but he couldn’t even hear them.

Joey looked over to their teacher’s desk and noticed that homeroom was almost over. He was about to shrug it off when he felt a sharp chill followed with his eyes closing. A fuzzy image played that brought a loud laugh that startled everyone in the class.

Everyone glared at Joey as he waved his hands to apologize.

PJ squinted her eyebrows. “What’s with you, weirdo?”

Joey regained control of his body. “I know why Mrs. Ray’s late for class. And it’s absolutely hilarious.”

PJ smirked. “Ew, Joseph! But you better dish, bitch.”

*~*

Later that afternoon, Chris sat next to Hank in their graphic design class. They worked on their group project, which was designing a business’s website. They chose to work on a hypothetical occult shop. They finished most of the project already, so it put them ahead of the majority of the class.

It gave them the chance to make things easier.

Hank sat with his legs on the chair as he scanned through their checklist. “All we got left is writing testimonials and the about us.” 

Chris nodded as he saved their work for the dozenth time that hour. He didn’t do much else since he stared at the screen.

Hank noticed and folded his arms over his legs. “What’s up, bro? You look like someone killed your cat.”

“Funny.” Chris leaned against the chair and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m just really nervous about things. Since Brody told us what might happen, I can’t help but have a bad feeling that it’s going to happen soon.”

Hank bit his lip. Even though he was mortal, he could get why Chris was so afraid since he grew up in a family of witches. 

Hank made sure to speak in hushed tones and preserving their code since the class was packed. “You’ll be fine. If it happens tomorrow, next week, or next year, I know you guys will be ready for this. This was something you knew was coming, and your mom prepped you on.”

Chris took a deep breath. “You’re right. We’ve been prepping and learning the ropes. When it happens, we’ll be ready. I hope.” Chris smacked his head on the desk as he leaned too far forward. The pain didn’t bother him as his thoughts troubled him more. “Oh, god! I’m going to be in charge, am I? Wyatt is too much of a slacker even though he’s the oldest. And Joey is too much of a hot mess.”

Hank patted Chris on the back. “Yeah, you’re probably going to be the boss. Sorry, bro.”

*~*

When Wyatt came home from class, he dumped his backpack on the floor and immediately stripped down to his boxers like his roommates. They barely bothered with clothes most of the time as they kept wearing only underwear. It didn’t exactly help that their apartment also got weirdly hot in the afternoon.

Wyatt tossed his shit into his bedroom since he didn’t care about studying for tomorrow’s exam. He went into the living room to grab his guitar and finish tunning it up before they started rehearsal. He also replaced one of the strings since it was a little too frayed for his liking.

The monotonous task helped to distract Wyatt’s mind. Since Joey got his active powers and talking with Chris, Wyatt felt nothing but anxiety over becoming the new Charmed Ones. Wyatt could feel more than the responsibility of being the eldest on his shoulders. He suddenly felt the weight of the world’s safety on his back. And it made him think of his mom and aunts. 

At best, Wyatt would have to delay his dreams and future as they did because of the Charmed destiny. At worse, he would die like Aunt Prue when she only started to live her life outside of being a Charmed One. He thought of all his dreams and how everything was coming undone at the mere thought of him becoming a Charmed One soon, and it tore him up in the inside as he thought about walking away entirely.

Even though Wyatt knew he had a higher purpose since he was a future Charmed One and the Twice Blessed Child. But Wyatt also wanted to live his life without the interference of magic or some cosmic responsibility always demanding he gives everything up for others. While it made him feel guilty to think about abandoning his destiny, he couldn’t help but think that no destiny should make such a demand of anyone.

Wyatt lost track of his thoughts when he heard Steve coughing to clear his throat. Steve grabbed his guitar too before standing in front of everyone else.

Gordon gently tapped on the drums before picking up the pace, while Vinny worked on the bass.

“Do we start with Sex Wax or Quarantine?” asked Steve. “I feel like we got Sex Wax down, but Quarantine is a little rough. We don’t have much time to fix everything since the gig is next Tuesday.”

Vinny nodded. “Why don’t we run through the songs we’re good at first for quick practice, then we finish with Quarntinee so we can work on that for the rest of the time?”

“I like that idea,” said Gordon as he kept drumming. “What do you think, Wyatt?”

Wyatt finished a new pick from the box. “Sounds like a plan to me. Did we decide if we’re using Pretty Hurts for the set or not?”

Steve shook his head. “Not. It doesn’t sound right, and it’ll take too long for us to figure out how to make it work. Quarantine is ready; we just need to nail playing the chorus in sync.”

“Right. That’ll be fun.” Wyatt strummed a few chords on his guitar to warm up before they went deep into rehearsal.

*~*

Walled off within her chambers, Zurie performed a little fashion show for herself. She would snap her fingers to change her dress as she sought something suitable for the occasion. Currently, she wore a sheer dress with red accents scattered across that looked rather stunning, but it still didn’t please her tastes.

“Trash.” Zurie tore the dress and tossed it to the floor. She left her hair tied in a tight updo but elected to remain nude until she came up with something better to wear.

Footsteps echoed outside her chambers with a deep voice speaking up. “Mistress Zurie, he is here.”

Zurie grinned as she turned to face her guest and guards in the nude. Both men wore black leather, but the guard was noticeably larger with muscles piled onto his flesh while Zurie’s guest was leaner. “Lovely,” said Zurie. “You can leave us, Jaxx.”

Jaxx bowed before stepping out of the chamber.

The other demon offered a smile and attempted to feign a polite gesture by pretending not to gaze at her naked form. “Mistress, it is a pleasure to meet you again. I have not seen you for over a decade.”

“That long?” Zurie’s eyes followed his gaze to see how closely he examined her body. “Well, I’m glad you could make time for me, Nomed. I’ve heard you’ve made a bit of a name for yourself since the Charmed Ones defeated the Triad.” She went over to her chaise lounge to retrieve a sheer, gold robe that she used to cover herself so Nomed would listen to her words instead of staring at her breasts.

Nomed coughed from regaining his composure and recalling Zurie’s compliment. “Yes, mistress. I have done well.”

“Even though you worked alongside the Charmed Ones.” Zurie peeked over her shoulder to notice Nomed’s face grow paler. Indeed, Nomed worked alongside the sisters to kill the Triad and convinced them to use the Hollow to face the Jenkins sisters, although, such an alliance was brief. “No need to fear, Nomed. I would’ve done the same. The Triad represented the old demonic order. They were far too short-sighted and would’ve led us all to certain disaster. You did our species a great service.”

Nomed smiled. “I’m glad you understand. Now, mistress, how may I assist you?”

“You sensed the change? The balance between good and evil recently shifted.”

“I did. Did you have a vision of what caused it?”

Zurie nodded. “The eldest Charmed One, Piper. Her sons are ready to elevate the war to its next phase.” She gestured Nomed to follow her to the cauldron. She waved her hand to project an image of Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. “The youngest boy, Joseph. They unbound his active power, which means it is almost time for the next generation of Charmed Ones to follow their mother’s footsteps.”

Nomed could see that. He forgot that Piper had a third child as he only remembered the older two boys. “Do you wish for me to organize my band of demons against the boys? I’m sure they’ll have no problem killing teen witches.”

“So quick to the knife.” Zurie chuckled from her enjoyment of terrifying demons of lower rank than herself. “No, I wouldn’t have you kill them so soon. However, I do want you to orchestrate an attack against them. Send powerful enough demons to force them to recite a Power of Three spell.”

“You want me to send demons to their death? For what reason?”

Zurie smirked as she looked Nomed in the eyes. “I want the boys to become the Charmed Ones so we can finally exterminate the Halliwell bloodline.”

*~*

That weekend, Chris got stuck on babysitting duty for Joey. Leo found himself busy with managing their restaurant, Halliwell’s, on top of P3 since Piper went out of town to film for the Cooking Channel. The bright side was that their parents left plenty of money for food since Joey was too much of a disaster in the kitchen, and Chris protested cooking unless he absolutely needed to cook.

It meant that they got the chance to eat from their favorite neighborhood Chinese restaurant. And the best part was that their parents left the same amount of money as they did when Wyatt lived with them, but they didn’t have to invite Wyatt, which meant more food for them. Well, eating was a bit of an understatement. It was more of a feast as they devoured two entrees, each plus their order of rice.

The sun started to set when they finished dinner.

Joey burped and rubbed his bloated belly as he stepped out of the restaurant, while Chris finished paying their bill. He leaned against a streetlight. “That was so delicious,” he groaned. “I can’t wait to do that again.”

Chris stepped out and stuffed the change and receipt into his pocket. He had a toothpick dangling from his mouth to get a piece of broccoli out of his teeth. “I regret nothing! I can’t wait until mom leaves town again.”

“You know that kind of makes you sound like an asshole son, right?” Joey followed Chris as they started to walk home.

Chris shrugged. “A little bit, but I’m also the one that is going to end up taking care of mom and dad when they get old so they can’t bitch.”

Joey gasped. “What makes you think Wyatt and I can’t help take care of mom and dad?”

“Wyatt is too irresponsible, and you’re going to be too busy doing being gaー”

Joey jumped onto Chris’s back to cover his mouth. Luckily, Chris’s older brother instincts kicked in so he could grab Joey’s legs and stand his ground before they both went crashing to the sidewalk. “Don’t say that out loud!”

Chris wiggled his mouth free. “Kid, what’s the big deal? It’s not like you haven’t made it painfully obvious. You look like a one-man pride parade. Plus, this is San Francisco. You can’t throw a handful of glitter without it landing on at least one gay person.”

Joey climbed off Chris. “That’s not the point. I want to come out on my terms not because you let it slip.”

Chris sighed as he saw Joey’s point. Joey was trusting enough to come out to Chris first before telling PJ. Joey hadn’t told another soul yet, even though, as Chris said, they all pretty much knew, but Joey had to come out to everyone else when he was ready and not a moment sooner.

Chris chased after Joey and locked arms with him. “Want to play Smash Bros when we get home?”

“Only if I get to play as Joker.”

“Deal. And I’ll play Bayonetta.”

“No! Wait, let’s switch!”

“Too late, you already called Joker. The bad witch is mine.”

Joey started to pout, but before he could put up much of a fight, they felt a weird chill in the air. They turned the corner on a near-empty street when they saw a trio of figures shimmer into view. A trio of green-skinned demons shimmered to the middle of the road. 

Chris stepped in front of Joey as this was the last thing either of them expected to happen tonight.

“Behind us!” Joey’s scream made Chris look back to find three more demons joining. The blue-skinned demons hissed as they drew athames from their coats. Joey squeezed onto Chris’s arm. “What now?”

“Run!” 

Chris dragged Joey across the street to a nearby park. Luckily, the park was pretty much empty at this hour, so nobody noticed them or the demons chasing.

Joey groaned as it got harder to breathe after eating so much. “I knew I should’ve ordered an extra chicken entree instead of the beef.”

The demons flicked their wrists to conjured spheres of magic that resembled electrical discharge. The demons launched the energy balls after the boys, which didn’t go unnoticed. Chris swung his free arm back. Most of the energy balls were telekinetically pushed aside, but a pair of them got redirected to the demons. One of the blue-skinned demons burst into flames while a green-skinned demon took the hit.

Joey gulped. “They’re strong demons.”

“I know.” Chris dragged them uphill when one of the green-skinned demons shimmered in front of them.

The green-skinned demon held his athame. “Die, witches!”

“Fuck off!” Joey kicked the demon in the groin, which surprisingly worked. The demon groaned from pain, which allowed Joey to take the athame and stab the demon in the sternum. Flames consumed the demon and the athame.

Chris smirked. “Good job.”

“Thanks. Aunt Phoebe always said when in doubt, kick a demon in the balls.”

An energy ball narrowly missed them as they were reminded that four demons remained. Another energy ball was coming after them, but Chris was ready. “Energy ball!” Chris extended his hand as orbs consumed the energy ball as he redirected it to another green-skinned demon and managed to vanquish that one too. “There’s still too many, and they’re too strong. Hang on!”

Chris grabbed onto Joey’s arm as he orbed them to safety. The remaining energy balls sailed across the park but blasted nothing as Chris already orb them to the manor.

Orbs gathered in the attic of the manor with Chris and Joey taking solid form. 

The attic appeared almost untouched over the years, but with slightly less junk to make room for all the magical items. They tried to keep their witchcraft contained in the attic since no visiting mortal would be at the risk of messing with potions or spells like they would if they left the supplies in the kitchen.

Chris walked over to a potion cabinet. “Go through the book for any spell we can use that isn’t a Power of Three spell. I’m going to see what offensive potions we have.”

Joey walked over to the podium, where they kept the Book of Shadows. He touched the massive green-leather covered tome that bore the triquetra on its center. His fingers flipped through the brittle pages. “Those demons were way too strong. I can’t think of a single spell we can use that’ll work against them, especially without knowing what they are.”

“Just try!” Chris opened the potion cabinet. He looked through the potions they had stockpiled, which was surprisingly low. Piper clearly hadn’t kept up with her potion brewing since demonic attacks were on a significant decline until today. “Damn! We only have one, generic vanquishing potion and two explosion potions.”

“Better than nothing.”

Chris shrugged. It was, but it still wasn’t enough. “It’s not like we can get much help. Aunt Phoebe is in New York. We don’t have time to brew anything stronger.”

Orbs gathered in the attic as Brody appeared. Brody bore a concerned expression as he noticed Chris and Joey working frantically. “What happened?” asked Brody. “I sensed you both were in danger.”

Joey looked away from the book. “Good! The Whitelighter is here. Talk to Chris!”

Brody squinted his eyes. “Rude.”

“Talk to Chris!” screamed Joey.

Brody stepped away since he could tell Joey was not having it. “Can you explain what happened?”

“Demons.” Chris left a freezing potion alone since it wouldn’t do them much good. “Joey and I got ambushed by demons. My powers aren’t strong enough to vanquish them, so we came home because the manor’s wards will protect us until we can figure something out.” Chris went further into the cabinet as he saw something promising. He pulled out a vial full of purple liquid. “Sweet! This is a Power of Three potion. It might vanquish the demons.”

“How many are there?” Brody asked as Chris handed him the vials.

“We vanquished three, but there are three more.” Chris turned to Joey. “Any luck?”

Joey shook his head as he grabbed the book from the podium. “Nada. Unless you want to try the Power Switching Spell.”

“Not a chance.” Chris led them downstairs as they quickly ran to the first floor when they felt the house shake. They knew it wasn’t an earthquake since they felt the buzzing of magic in the air.

They made it to the sunroom to find the remaining demons outside. The demonic trio blasted the doors with energy balls, but it did no good against the wards.

Joey sighed. “Thank mom for the wards.”

Brody shook his head. “Don’t thank her yet. I can feel the magic breaking down. If those demons keep concentrating on the same spot, then they’ll break the wards.”

“Leaving us as sitting ducks,” whispered Chris. 

Joey took a deep breath. “Wyatt! Wyatt!”

Chris tilted his head back and screamed too. “Wyatt!”

*~*

The orbs gathered in the living room as Wyatt appeared.

Wyatt massaged his temples from the psychic whiplash of his brothers’ cries. “I was in the middle of band rehearsal. You, two, better have a good reason for calling me here.” Wyatt turned towards the sunroom at the right moment. He screamed when he saw a trio of demons blast the doors with energy balls.

However, the wards continued to hold to prevent the demons from entering. The shock of the demon’s presence nearly made Wyatt fall to his ass. 

Chris came from around the corner. He grabbed Wyatt by the arm before handing over one of his explosion potions. “That’s why we called you. Joey and I got ambushed by demons who are keen on killing us.” Chris gestured over to Joey, who still frantically searched the Book of Shadows for a spell they could use, while Brody stood guard. “My powers aren’t strong enough to vanquish all these demons. Retreating to the manor was our best shot at surviving.”

Wyatt gulped. “And leave it to the demons to figure out the one day that mom and Aunt Phoebe are out of town. We can’t rely on the Power of Three coming to the rescue.” Wyatt glanced at Chris. “You’re the smart one. Do we have a plan?”

“Hope Joey can find a non-Power of Three spell to vanquish these demons and pray we don’t die first?”

“Good plan.”

Joey yelped as another barrage of energy balls slammed against the doors. The demons continued their assault. “I can’t focus!” Joey patted his hands on the ancient tome of their ancestors and cried. “There’s nothing here that can help us! I don’t know what these demons are. And without knowing what they are, every spell that can save us would require the Power of Three.”

Brody rubbed Joey’s back. “We’ll figure this out. You don’t need the Power of Three. Your brothers have their powers, and we have potions.”

Chris patted Wyatt’s arm. “Yeah, we got the Twice Blessed here. He’ll save us.”

Wyatt groaned. “Now, you want to believe in me! It’s only when we’re about to die that me being Twice Blessed is a good thing. Otherwise, you bitch about having weaker powers.”

“This isn’t the time, Wyatt. We’re in a bit of a crisis!”

“And if anyone has a reason to bitch about their powers,” shouted Joey, “it’s me! I have visions, and I don’t at least have Whitelighter powers because dad gave up his wings before having me! So both of you shut up!”

Brody took a deep breath. “Okay, boys. Keep it together. You need to have faith in each other.”

“Shut up!” said the boys as their fear overpowered their reasons.

Outside the manor, the green-skinned demon grabbed a potion vial from his coat. He swallowed the black liquid and allowed its magic to warp his being. 

The green-skinned demon appeared to grow a little larger. He took a deep breath before extending his hands out to unleash a blast of magic. 

The latest attack captured the boys and Brody’s attention. They watched as the demon blasted through what remained of the wards that protected the manor. And with the wards gone, the other two demons could easily push the doors open with the trio stepping inside.

“Fuck! Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!” Joey ran behind Wyatt and Chris as he carried the Book of Shadows with him.

“Brody, now!” Chris tossed an explosive potion at one of the demons with Brody following his example.

They threw explosion potions that only managed to vanquish one of the demons. Chris tossed another explosion potion at the green-skinned demon, but the attack did nothing. Meanwhile, Brody was about to throw the Power of Three potion, but the green-skinned demon got to him first. The demon tossed an energy ball at Brody that sent him crashing towards the staircase and dropping the potion.

Luckily, the potion vial didn’t break. Wyatt noticed the potion and responded. “Potion!” Orbs surrounded the potion vial as Wyatt twisted his hand towards the green-skinned demon so that the potion would strike him. The potion made contact, but it didn’t vanquish the demon. Wyatt’s jaw hung open. “What the hell!”

“That was a Power of Three potion too,” whispered Chris. “Whatever that demon drank made him stronger than the potion.”

Joey stumbled into the sitting room with Chris and Wyatt following. “What are we going to do now?”

The demons tossed energy balls in their direction.

Wyatt slammed his foot to the ground as they reached the hallway. A wall of blue energy arose from him as he generated his force field, which expanded far enough to include Brody. Wyatt could keep them covered as the energy balls collided against the barrier but did no harm. “I can’t hold them forever!” Wyatt held his hands up as he could already feel the strain. “Figure something out!”

The demons tossed their energy balls again. Chris extended his hand out to telekinetically redirect the energy balls to the blue-skinned demon. The blue-skinned demon died in flames, but that still left the green-skinned demon who was far stronger than the others.

Chris shook his head. “I don’t like this.”

Wyatt gulped. “Neither do I.” He turned his head when he noticed Chris holding onto his hand. He could feel Chris’s power, but he also felt Chris trembling. 

Joey covered his face. “We’re fucked! We’re so fucked.” He cursed himself for convincing his mom to unbind his powers. If he didn’t have his active powers again, then the demons would’ve never noticed and came after them. “We don’t stand a chance against these demons!”

The pages of the Book of Shadows flipped themselves to the page that featured the vanquishing spell for the demon Shax. Joey noticed the book and wanted to celebrate until he read the page. “This is a Power of Three spell! We can’t use this.” Joey looked up to the ceiling. “Grams, I know you helped mom all the time. Give us something other than a Power of Three spell!” 

Joey tried to flip the page to something else, but the Book of Shadows, and likely the ghost of Penny Halliwell, protested. It flipped its pages to another entry, this time showing him the summoning spell for an Angel of Destiny. “Why would we summon an Angel of Destiny? How would that help us?”

Wyatt closed his eyes. He listened to Joey enough to understand what was going on now. The Book of Shadows was telling them what they needed to do. “Joey, give me your hand.”

Joey looked away from the Book of Shadows. “What?”

Chris nodded. He could see what Wyatt meant, too, as he squeezed his hand. “Do it, Joey. We have no other choice.”

Joey grabbed the Book of Shadows and walked closer. He reached out for Wyatt’s hand as it became clear to him too. “Are you sure?”

The demon blasted the barrier again. At that moment, Wyatt withdrew his barrier then took a deep breath. “The Power of Three will set us free. The Power of Three will set us free.”

“The Power of Three will set us free,” Chris said, joining Wyatt.

The demon flung another energy ball as Joey found his courage to speak, “The Power of Three will set us free.”

Rays of blue light descended from the chandelier over their heads as they continued to recite the words. The light created a barrier that protected them from the demon’s energy blast. “The Power of Three will set us free. The Power of Three will set us free.” 

*~*

Across town, Paige finished filing an adoption case she spent ages working on. She was so happy to see that Paulie and Janet finally found a good home.

As Paige reached for a coffee, she felt herself lose her breath. She didn’t notice as a pair of white orbs escaped from her body and floated out to the world.

Meanwhile, something similar happened to Piper. The stylist finished working on Piper’s hair before they started the broadcast for the Cooking Channel. Piper found herself so excited for this moment, but then she lost her breath.

Piper held her head when a pair of white orbs left her body too.

Not even New York was safe. Phoebe got ready for her interview for Good Morning America. They planned on speaking on her latest book, which was released next week. She felt so proud that her advice and research could help so many people.

However, the shift in magic caught up to Phoebe too. The interview with Robin Roberts was just about to start when Phoebe lost her breath. The white orbs escaped her body and floated out, while no one on the staff noticed the magic; they feared for Phoebe’s health as she appeared ill.

*~*

The rays of light continued to shield the boys as they continued to recite their spell.

“The Power of Three will set us free! The Power of Three will set us free!”

The demon shot another energy ball at the barrier as a trio of white orbs entered the manor. The orbs floated through the barrier and merged into the boys’ bodies.

Suddenly, flames arose from the demon’s feet. The demon stared at himself as the flames grew to cover his entire body. The demon gave a final howl before finally exploding in a fiery finish.

The light protecting the boys faded as the danger passed.

Wyatt stepped towards the ashy remains of the demon with Chris and Joey sticking close behind him. “Yup. He’s dead.”

Chris nodded as his jaw hung open. “We did that. And all those lights.”

Joey felt almost like he was floating, and the only thing keeping him on the ground was the Book of Shadows. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

A groan echoed in the hallway. They turned back to see Brody getting on his feet as he held onto his injured ribs. “It does,” Brody groaned as he spoke. “You’re Charmed now.”

“Fuck!” said Wyatt, Chris, and Joey.

*~*

In the aftermath, Piper returned home that evening with Paige orbing Phoebe in from New York. They crowded the living room with Wyatt, Chris, and Joey, still recovering from their battle against the demons. 

Piper stared at the Book of Shadows. Things felt very different to her now. She could sense a decline in her powers, and even her connection to the book felt weaker. She knew what it meant, but she didn’t want to say it aloud. 

“So…” Paige’s voice stretched a bit as she sat across from the boys with Phoebe leaning against the chair. “You recited a Power of Three spell.”

Chris and Joey nodded.

“The super basic one,” said Wyatt. “But, yeah, we recited a Power of Three spell to vanquish those demons.” He shook his head as he jumped up from the couch. His face getting a little red from his anger. “I don’t get it, though! I get that my powers alone weren’t strong enough, but we had a vanquishing potion for upper-level demons. One blessed with your Power of Three. I don’t understand why we needed a spell.” 

Phoebe frowned. “Even those potions aren’t a hundred percent effective. The ones we have stockpiled are strong, but without some form of DNA from the specific demon, there’s no guarantee the potions will do the deed.”

Piper brushed her hair back as she closed her eyes. “I hate this. I knew it was coming, but I thought it wouldn’t be until we at least got Joey out of high school.”

“Sorry, mom,” whispered Joey.

Piper smiled. “It’s not your fault, baby boy. Even the Book of Shadows knew that you wouldn’t survive unless you used the Power of Three.”

Chris sat on the edge of the sofa while Wyatt came back down. “Then I guess this is it,” said Chris. “We made it official. We’re the Charmed Ones now.”

Silence filled the living room with orbs soon forming.

Brody returned from the Heavens after leaving to commune with the Elders for confirmation. He tried to smile, but he could pick up on everyone’s concern and decided not to sugar coat things. “The Elders confirmed it. The boys inherited the Charmed Ones’ destiny. And every demon likely sensed the shift in mystical energy, which means they’re aware of the transfer. On the bright side. Piper. Phoebe. Paige. You’re officially free women.”

Phoebe shook her head. She held back tears. “You know, we spent so many years complaining about being the Charmed Ones, I didn’t expect it to end like this.”

Paige agreed. She turned to the boys. “Well, the least we can do is make sure you’re better prepared than we were. You know where to find us if you ever need any help.” Paige got out of the chair as she mentioned that she needed to go home. She offered Phoebe a ride back to New York. Brody decided to leave too since he could tell that Piper wanted some time alone.

They said their farewells before leaving Piper alone with the boys.

Piper squeezed her way onto the sofa. She inserted herself between Wyatt and Joey, with Chris leaning over to get a bit closer. They sat there in silence for an agonizingly long time before she broke down in tears. The boys hugged Piper as they too wept. 

The boys couldn’t comprehend the meaning of being the Charmed Ones, but it was a reality they were forced to confront.

*~*

In the Underworld, Nomed cowered as he dropped to his hands and knees. He turned to Zurie’s chambers to give her the report on the demons he sent to face Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. He feared that he would soon end up in the Demonic Wasteland to rot for eternity. His fear got the best of him that he nearly pissed his pants.

Nomed’s fear didn’t go unnoticed. 

Zurie sat at a table with another demon across from her. The demon busied himself with giving Zurie a manicure since it was almost a decade since her last one. Zurie knew she needed to get better about keeping up with a proper schedule, but she was a busy demon.

As the demonic nail tech finished applying the finishing coat of polish, they heard Nomed’s cries for forgiveness. The demon nail tech curled his lips as he knew nothing of the situation, but knew enough that Nomed was bound for the Wasteland for failing on his mission. Upper-level demons like Zurie weren’t exactly known for being the most forgiving.

However, Zurie didn’t appear bothered. She marveled at the finished product as the nail tech blasted the nails dry. “Well done as always, Moxin. Your talents are worth every power.” 

The demonic nail tech, Moxin, smiled. “You have my thanks, Mistress Zurie.”

Zurie poked at her golden nails and smiled. It did come out marvelous. “Wonderful.” Zurie grabbed an old box and opened it. Inside were dozens of small glowing orbs that radiated with an unusual amount of energy. “I’m feeling generous. As payment, I’ll allow you to take any two powers you desire.”

Moxin beamed as he chuckled. He went into the box where he found the two powers that he coveted. The orbs glistened in his hands. “I always wanted to fly and spit acid.”

“Who doesn’t?” Zurie giggled as she closed the box.

While Moxin packed his supplies, Nomed made himself heard once more. “My mistress,” begged Nomed. “I beg of you.”

“Yes, I heard you already!” Zurie rolled her eyes as she sprang to her feet with the grace of a housecat. But she sauntered towards Nomeb with the aura of a panther ready to rip her pray to pieces. 

Moxin shimmered from Zurie’s chambers as he feared he would get caught in her wrath.

Zurie traced a sharp nail along Nomed’s cheek. She tilted his head up so that he would properly face her, and in return, she granted him a smile. “Why so scared, Nomed? All you did was get a couple of demons killed.”

Nomed gulped. “I failed you. The demons didn’t kill the boys, and now they’re the Charmed Ones.”

Laughter escaped from Zurie. She threw her head back and placed a hand over her chest. “Is that all? Oh, my poor, dumb demon.” Zurie grabbed onto the curls of Nomed’s head and dragged him to his feet. “Weren’t you listening earlier? Did I tell you that I wanted the boys dead now?”

Nomed gulped. He thought back to their previous conversation and couldn’t recall those exact words. “No, mistress.”

Zurie smiled. She playfully slapped Nomed’s face before letting him go. “Exactly! I don’t want them dead quite yet. All I wanted was for the power transfer to occur.”

“Why? The boys will become stronger than their mother and her sisters. They’ll be nearly unstoppable.”

“But they’re still young, and it’ll take years before they become that much of a threat.” Zurie strolled towards her cauldron. “In the meantime, I can use their naivety to my advantage. With the Source and the Triad dead, all the demons that they banished are returning to the Underworld.” She waved her hand over the cauldron. The liquid granted her an image of Wyatt, Chris, and Joey appearing frightened as they came out victorious against the demons that Nomed sent. “Someone needs to organize them under one banner. What better way to unite the Underworld than to kill the Charmed Ones and extinguish the Halliwell bloodline?”

Nomed kept his head low as he approached Zurie. “Is that it? Do you intend to become the next Source?”

Zurie chuckled. “Who needs a Source? My goals are far grander. And, should you behave, I’m sure I can find a place for you, Nomed. After all, you already proved your worth.”

The fear Nomed felt earlier disappeared. Instead, he felt pride and began to smile as he faced Zurie. “Tell me what you need, mistress. And it is yours.”

“Sit, my dear. We have so much evil to discuss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note. This is going to be the last chapter with a "clear narrative" for a bit longer. The next few chapters are going to be more of the boys getting used to being Charmed with Zurie and Nomed likely not appearing again for a while. But don't worry, there is an evil plan brewing and later on, there is going to be a clear narrative when the boys get a little older.


	3. Men Suck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey yo! I planned out this first arc and let me just say how excited I am for you to read it. The first arc is currently at fifteen chapters with the following two arcs likely being fifteen chapters each too. And this chapter is going to set up one of the villains for this section. I also have some plans that include a two-part crossover with the Charmed reboot. I'm hyped. And I hope y'all are too! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated.

A week after becoming Charmed, Joey found little changes in his life. He wasn’t constantly bombarded with premonitions, and demons weren’t chasing him down the streets. Oddly enough, he found himself almost disappointed with the lack of attacks.

It made him think that another demon sent the demons that attacked Chris and him, given how quiet things appeared in San Francisco. If it was a coincidence, then he could see constant demon attacks, but that wasn’t the case.

Joey adjusted his legs to gain some type of comfort while he sat on the bleachers. More students crowded the school gym since cheerleading practice, and wrestling practice happened at the same time. Usually, the cheerleaders would practice outside, but the rain forced them indoors.

PJ roped Joey into sticking around after school, despite his lack of interest in after school activities. He watched her practice with the cheerleading team and found mild amusement whenever someone fumbled the routine. Not PJ, though, she proved herself as a rockstar as she effortlessly assumed the proper positions and danced circles around everyone else.

Joey scrolled through his phone to check his Snapchat and Tik Tok. None of the posts stood out to him, so he was forced to pay attention to practice. His eyes did drift over to the wrestling team, and not because he suddenly found himself interested in trying out. Instead, he found himself looking at the boys as they grappled on the mats. 

“Come on, Mark! Don’t worry about going easy on Ricky. He can take a beating,” said the coach.

A handsome, dark-haired boy adjusted the straps to his headgear. His body was surprisingly firm for someone so young, which Joey noticed after looking at how snug the orange singlet fit him. “Ricky’s wrist healed only last week. I don’t want to risk putting him on the bench for the of the season.” 

“Aw. You care about me, Marky,” said a bulkier, brown-haired boy. “How sweet.”

Mark glared. “Now, I want to pound your face into the mat.” 

The coach clapped. “That’s what I want to see! Get back in there, boys.”

Mark and Ricky went on the mat again, starting their rematch. 

However, Mark’s eyes drifted to the left enough to spot Joey looking at him. Mark cracked a smirk with Joey attempting to turn away, gracefully, as Mark and Ricky wrestled each other to the ground.

Joey sighed as he whispered, “Don’t be that kind of gay, Joseph. Leave the straight, senior boys alone.”

*~*

Joey finally left the gym with PJ almost an hour later.

PJ chose not to shower since she was heading straight home and didn’t feel like getting distracted with chit-chat. She led Joey across the street to a coffee shop since she also promised him an iced coffee for staying for practice. She paid for their drinks, and they waited across the counter.

PJ played with the straps of her backpack and duffle bag. “So...any plans?”

“For?”

“Making a move on your future husband.”

Joey choked on his spit. His vision blurred before he got the spit to clear his throat then smacked PJ’s arm. “What are you talking about?”

PJ smirked. She ignored him since the barista finished making their drinks. She grabbed them and handed Joey his iced coffee. Joey’s glare didn’t waver in the slightest, but she didn’t care as she added a bit more sugar into her mocha. 

“Don’t play with me, woman! I swear if you did some Cupid nonsense, then I will vanquish you.”

“Chill, homo. It’s not that tragic.” PJ led him outside of the coffee shop so that they could speak a little more freely. A crowded coffee shop wasn’t exactly the best space to discuss a witch’s love life as the potential for spilling the beans on magic was rather high. “I didn’t do anything. But I did pick up the emotional heat from when you checked out Mark Meade.” 

Joey covered his face. “Dear god! What did you see?”

PJ shrugged. “Nothing graphic if that’s what you’re asking. It was only your desire. Oh! And Mark totally noticed you checking him out.”

“Fuck! Kill me now.” Joey walked with PJ across the street. “The only thing that could make this worse is if your dad sets us up.”

“He can’t. Just like Aunt Paige, he’s explicitly blocked from using his powers to interfere with our lives.” PJ chuckled. “Oh! You mean in a mortal way.”

Joey rolled his eyes. 

“Well, luckily, he doesn’t know about your gayness.” PJ sipped her coffee. “Same with mom. They do the best they can to avoid using their empathic powers on us.”

“Good. Because your parents are the worst at keeping secrets.”

“You’re telling me. The told Paulina what I got for her birthday, even though I told them I wanted to surprise her.”

Joey sipped his coffee. “That sucks.”

PJ nodded as she turned a corner into an alleyway so she could beam them home. “And since I’m such a nice cousin, I’ll even give you a piece of advice. Shoot your shot. Mark thinks you’re cute too.”

“What!”

“Bye! Love you!” PJ poked Joey on the chest. Pink light covered Joey’s body as she beamed him straight home. She chuckled to herself as a pink light appeared over her heart as she beamed herself home next.

*~*

The clink of keys echoed in the parking lot as the woman adjusted her phone to sit more comfortably on her shoulder. “Yes, Madison. I heard you the first time. I’m already leaving work and will pick up the dress, but that means you need to start dinner. Well, if you want your dress, then you need to help me, young lady.”

The click of the woman’s heels created an echo across the nearly empty parking lot. She listened to her daughter’s protests, which caused her to groan. “Honey, I need your help. I can’t do everything for you, and you need to learn a bit more independence. I’m not asking for you to fix a three-course meal. I’m just asking you to put the rice in the rice cooker and the vegetables in the seamer.”

As she worked on unlocking her car, an older man stepped out from around the corner.

The man looked like he was venturing into his eighties from the wrinkles on his face and how hunched over his back appeared. He wore a faded suit that seen better days.

From the pocket of his coat, he reached for a wand. The pale wood looked unimpressive, but the handle bore a skull with a pair of rubies in the eyes.

The man pointed his wand at the woman’s direction.

She tossed her belongings into the passenger side when the wand’s magic began to affect her. She nearly lost her grip on the phone with her balance weakening as a ruby aura appeared around her that drifted towards the wand. “What? I…”

The phone slipped from her hands, and she dropped to the ground. Her fall created enough noise that Madison could hear on the other end.

“Mom? Mom, what happened? Mom!”

The ruby light transferred itself to the man with a few wrinkles disappearing. He felt some rejuvenation, but it would still take some time before he was at full strength. For now, he could rest and wait. With his mission complete, he blinked out of the garage as he left the woman behind.

*~*

In the sunroom, Chris drummed his fingers along his textbook as he worked on a word problem for Calculus. It took far too much work to figure out these answers, and he couldn’t give a damn about solving for x. He hated math classes above all others, even if he was a decent enough student. The only thing bringing him some comfort was that his torment was almost over. He only needed to finish this year and one more math class at most universities, then he’d never have to think about any other than simple math again.

At least, it all depended upon his major. He still struggled to figure that part of his life out. Not that he needed to rush, but with all his college application deadlines coming up soon, he’d need to have something clearer written for them.

While Chris worked on Calculus, Joey sat across from him. Joey had a composition book on his lap as he re-read the passage for the Old Man and the Sea.

“Can I say how much I hate Hemmingway?” Joey said, breaking their silence. “What makes him such a great novelist when this entire book is trash? I’ve read BTS fanfiction with better prose then this.”

Chris chuckled. “I dare you to tell that to Mrs. Longoria. I’m sure she’ll appreciate your critique of her favorite author.”

“You think I won’t, but I’ll do just that. I’ve got no problem roasting this dead man. Hell, I’ll even perform a summoning spell to tell his ghost how much his writing sucks.”

“Geez. You’re pretty mean.”

Joey blew Chris a kiss. “Damn right! I don’t have to be nice to trash writers like Hemmingway. I can do a better job.”

Light-blue orbs gathered in the sunroom with Brody taking form.

Chris and Joey waved at Brody before returning their attention to their homework.

Brody chuckled. “I’d hate to ruin your productivity, but there is a bit of demonic activity on the Elders’ radar that they want you aware of.”

Joey tossed the book across the room. “Great! I’ll gladly punch a demon’s face instead of spending another moment reading Hemmingway.”

“What’s wrong with Hemmingway?” asked Brody.

Chris covered his mouth with his notebook to hide his laugh. “Oh, bro. If only you were here a minute sooner.”

“Everything is wrong with Hemmingway!” said Joey. “His writing is garbage!”

Brody pursed his lips. “I like Hemmingway.”

Joey shrugged. “Then I’m sorry to say it, but you have trash taste in writers. Go read Cassandra Clare if you want to read somewhat entertaining trash.”

Brody rolled his eyes. “Anyways, back to the demonic issue.”

Chris went back to working on his equations. “Talk to Wyatt instead. He can actually do something to find the demons. As for us, we’re a little busy doing homework since we’re still in high school. It’s not like we can go hunting.”

“Lighten up, Chris.” Joey sat up and held his head with his hands. “Come on, Mr. Exposition. Give us the hot tea in the Underworld.”

“Right.” Brody crossed his arms over his chest as he started to share the report. “Seven women in the city have died under mysterious circumstances. They are first found comatose then die a few days later.”

Joey squinted his eyes. “That sounds odd, but I do not exactly see why that needs the Charmed Ones. Are the Elders positive this isn’t like some superflu?”

“They’re the Elders, Joe,” Chris said, while solving the equation in his textbook, “I’m pretty sure they can tell the difference between the common cold and dark magic.”

“They can. And they did. Just keep a lookout for anything suspicious. There’s a fair chance that there’s a demon or warlock responsible for these women’s deaths.”

Chris gave Brody two thumb’s up while Joey smiled. “You got it, Mr. Whitelighter!” Joey pointed to his eyes. “We got this covered! These eyes will help me foresee any demonic attack.”

Brody shook his head and resisted the urge to laugh. “Don’t get too cocky, Joey. You’re still new at this, and the Underworld knows what the Charmed Ones are capable of when they’re at their best. Caution is important.”

Orbs swallowed Brody as he disappeared, leaving Chris and Joey to their homework.

*~*

That morning, Chris stapled his Calculus homework together before tossing it into the homework bin for his class period. He slipped into his desk and grabbed his notebook from his backpack, bracing himself for another day of this dreadful class.

Mr. Henderson wasn’t a horrible teacher, but Chris blamed this dreadful subject. Again, Chris couldn’t wait until he was finished with math classes. 

The warning bell rang for their class, with a few more students straggling inside the classroom. It didn’t warrant any special attention from Chris since most of his peers showed up barely on time anyways.

However, he heard whispers from a group of girls. He went on to ignore them until he caught the end of the conversation.

“And she’s in a coma now!”

“Poor Madison. So that explains why she’s gone dark on social. Normally, we’d have a dozen posts from her by now.”

“It’s so scary. How can someone slip into a coma so suddenly?”

Chris listened closer. It sounded too convenient that Brody would warn them of women falling into a coma only for someone in his class being a victim also. 

Destiny had a twisted sense of humor.

Chris turned towards the girls. “I’m sorry for eavesdropping, but is Madison in a coma?”

The girls shook their heads. “No,” said the red-headed one, Anya. “Madison’s mom is. She was on the phone with Madison when she suddenly passed out. When the ambulance brought her to the hospital, the doctors reported she’s comatose.”

“Fuck,” said Chris as the bell started to ring. “That’s terrible. Poor Madison.”

One of the girls, a brunette named Janet, started to smile. “Wow, Chris Halliwell is capable of showing concern. Weird that it took this to happen for us to find that out.”

Chris smiled. He did have a bit of a reputation of being cold. He didn’t go out of his way to interact with most of his classmates as he instead focused on schoolwork and family. It’s why he barely had any friends outside of the family. Whereas he also had to combat Wyatt’s reputation since he was one of the most popular kids at their school, while PJ and Joey overly friendly to most people, and Hank kept it chill. 

“I’m capable of showing many emotions. I just need a good reason.” 

The girls laughed a little since it distracted them from Madison’s sad news.

The final bell rang with Mr. Henderson coming inside to start today’s lesson.

Chris slipped his phone out from his pocket and went into his brothers’ text thread. He sent them a text to confirm that Brody’s warning proved true and that he found a victim.

*~*

Later that afternoon, Chris led his brothers into Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, where Madison’s mother laid comatose. They slipped into an empty men’s restroom on the third floor so that they could initiate their plan to find out if Madison’s mom indeed fell into a coma because of dark magic.

Chris pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket with a revised copy of the Vanishing Spell and the reversal spell from the Book of Shadows. He smiled at Joey. “Are you ready for this?”

Joey shrugged. “Let’s get it over with.”

Wyatt kept his back pressed against the restroom door so that no one interrupted them. “Make it fast. I sense some muggles heading in this direction.”

“Right.” Chris took a deep breath as he maintained eye-contact with Joey as he focused on the intent of the spell. “Let the witch in question become but a dream as I cause the witch to become unseen.”

A flash of light washed over Joey then he disappeared. 

Wyatt closed his eyes and scrunched his face up. “You're still there, Joe? I don’t want to get in trouble because Chris vanquished you.”

“I didn’t vanquish him,” hissed Chris. “Did I?”

“Still here, dumbasses.” Joey’s voice echoed. “I’m just the invisible boy now.”

Chris and Wyatt sighed since they didn’t have to worry about explaining to their parents that they killed their brother.

Chris stuffed the paper into his pocket. “Alright, Joey. The rest is all on you. Try and get a premonition, then meet us in the hallway.”

“Got it. This shouldn’t be hard.”

Wyatt opened the door to find no one there. “You got this, bro.”

An invisible Joey left the restroom with Chris and Wyatt waiting in the hallway. 

The hospital buzzed with activity, even in this ward. Most of the patients were either bedridden or comatose, but they still needed extensive care, which required Joey to use a bit of stealth to avoid bumping into any of the medical staff.

He repeated the room number in his head until he found Room 394.

“Perfect,” he whispered. 

No one was in this part of the hallway, but the door was also closed. Joey very slowly opened the door the minimal amount so that he could slip inside in case there was someone else inside. And it was a good thing he acted this cautiously too. He noticed a man with his back to him, standing over the bed.

Joey went silent as he feared that this man was the husband. He started to slip around them when he noticed a strange glow coming from the bed. He looked closer at the man then saw the man holding a funky wand that he used on Madison’s mom.

Joey bit his tongue, so he didn’t alert the man to his presence with a scream. As Joey got closer, he got a better read on the man’s energy and could tell he wasn’t a demon but a warlock. Joey found the woman’s belongings on a loveseat, which included a heavy-looking purse. And it was perfect. Joey grabbed the bag and slipped behind the warlock to strike him in the back of the head.

The warlock yelped, as he spun around to find no one there as Joey tossed the purse back to the sofa. The warlock grabbed the wand from the bed, which allowed Joey the chance to look at it a little closer.

With enough of the wand’s details committed to memory, Joey kicked the back of the warlock’s leg before pushing him across the room. The warlock landed against the wall, further away from the bed and medical equipment, but the crash made a bit of noise.

“Who the fuck dares to attack me?” said the warlock.

“Your worst nightmare,” said Joey. “I suggest you leave now because this woman is under the protection of the Charmed Ones!”

The warlock gasped.

The door to the room opened as the warlock blinked out of there. Joey backed against the wall to slip out of the room as a nurse checked to see the cause of all the noise.

The nurse only found the purse on the floor, and nothing else wrong with this picture. “I guess this fell over, but that was pretty loud.”

While the nurse tried to rationalize what happened, Joey walked down the hallway.

Joey found Wyatt and Chris standing near the hospital map with their phones out so that they didn’t raise any suspicions of their own. Joey grabbed their arms, causing them to yelp only for him to hush them up.

“Good news. Bad news,” whispered Joey. “Good news, it’s not a demon. It’s a warlock.”

Wyatt tried to look in the direction that he heard Joey’s voice. “What’s the bad news?”

“The warlock tried to finish her off, so I had to kick his ass.”

Chris muttered a “shit” underneath his breath. He led them into the restroom once more, with them pretending to use the urinal as they waited for a nurse to finish washing his hands. 

Once the coast was clear, Wyatt went to guard the door again as Chris recited the reversal spell. “Let the witch in question return so that his existence may be reaffirmed.”

Light flashed once more with Joey returning to a clear view. However, the spell didn’t work precisely how Chris planned. Joey returned, but he returned without his clothes. “Great!” Joey slumped his shoulders. “Let’s get moving.” 

Chris backed away while Wyatt closed his eyes.

Joey squinted his eyes. “What? Do I look like a lizard person now?” Joey looked to the mirror to find himself naked. His hands immediately went to cover his privates. “Chris! Why am I naked! How could you fuck up a simple spell!”

Chris covered his eyes. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Joey shoved Chris towards the urinal. He went over to Wyatt, throwing his arms around Wyatt as he tried to hide his nudity. He gagged since his bare feet touched the filthy floor. “Get me out of here!”

Wyatt pretended to vomit as he tilted his head up. “Gross! I can feel my baby brother’s dick on my leg! Fuck you, Chris!” He quickly orbed them out of there.

Chris scrunched his face as he was disgusted with himself. “I’m sorry!” he said as he started to orb too.

*~*

Joey’s clothes reappeared as soon as they arrived at the manor. They assumed it was a magical delay in the reversal spell, but Joey still punched Chris for messing up the spell.

Not long after Chris’s arms became covered in bruises, they called Brody. Once Joey filled him in on what the warlock, Wyatt left to get Tamora. Since Tamora was the family artist, they figured she could sketch out the wand that the warlock used so they could start a proper search. It didn’t take much convincing to get Tamora’s help. They only needed to buy her two boxes of Pocky.

Tamora sketched out the wand within thirty minutes. She wasn’t exactly thrilled since she was mostly speed sketching, but the goal wasn’t to make it pretty. They needed a reference image to search for. 

Chris took a picture of the sketch so that they could look through the Book of Shadows with Brody taking the sketch to the Elders. 

They went down to the kitchen to brew a batch of potions for the warlock. 

Tamora sat on a barstool with a sketchbook on her lap as she went to work on another drawing. She tied her dark hair into a ponytail, so nothing got in her way as she worked on her latest masterpiece. “So, how’s being Charmed? Is it everything you thought it would be?”

“It’s charming,” said Wyatt as he brewed an explosion potion. He held a hand out to Joey. “More seeds.”

Joey passed the seeds. “It would be nicer if Chris didn’t try to humiliate me in a public setting!”

Chris turned the page from the Book of Shadows as he still found no traces of the wand that the warlock used. He glanced up from the book. “How many more times do I need to tell you that I’m sorry?”

“A thousand more.”

Tamora chuckled. “Oh, you three are such a mess. This should be a reality TV show. Like the Real Witches of San Francisco. Or Keeping Up with the Charmed Ones.”

They glared at Tamora, but she didn’t notice as she continued drawing. 

The backdoor opened and closed. Piper stepped into the kitchen and announced she was home only to find everyone crowding the place. “Well, this is surprising.” Piper sniffed the air. “And smelly. What’s going on?”

Chris closed the Book of Shadows. “A warlock is using a magic wand to put women into a coma before killing them, so we’re preparing to vanquish him.”

“Also, I kicked that warlock’s butt!” Joey threw a pinch of herbs into the potion for Wyatt to stir. “And Chris messed up the vanishing spell and left me naked in the hospital!”

Chris groaned. “Let it go, Joseph!”

“I see.” Piper left her purse and coat on the table. She leaned over to the kitchen island with her motherly instincts wanting to see how exactly Wyatt was doing in his potion brewing. “Well, lucky for you, I’m free. And given how shitty my day was, I’d very much like to take it out on a warlock.”

Tamora laughed. “Missing the good old days of kicking butt, auntie?”

“A little.”

Orbs gathered in the kitchen with Brody returning from the heavens. 

Brody passed the drawing over to Tamora. “The Elders wanted me to pass their compliments to you, Tamora. Your sketch was excellent enough for them to identify the wand easily.”

Tamora smiled as she closed her sketchbook. “Finally, there is someone that appreciates my talents.”

Brody greeted Piper before looking over to the boys. “Alright, so, the wand. The Elders identified it as the Wand of Asmodeus.” 

Chris squinted his eyes. “Like the fallen angel turned Prince of Hell? That Asmodeus?”

Joey stirred the potion pot. “Someone’s been reading his Shadowhunters.”

“Hush,” whispered Wyatt. 

“Sort of. It’s a bit more complicated than that.” Brody cleared his throat. “Anyway, the wand is used to drain the lifeforce of people to extend the youth and life to its wielder. The wand eventually fell into the hands of a group of warlocks that mainly target women given Asmodeus’s association with the deadly sin of Lust. And these warlocks also worship the old demonic gods, with this group calling themselves the Cult of Asmodeus.”

“How original,” said Piper. “So let me guess, if we destroy the wand, then all living victims regain their lifeforce?” 

Brody nodded. “Pretty much. But since Joey had to announce that their latest victim is under the Charmed Ones’ protection, the cult is prepared for you now.”

Joey smiled as he nervously laughed. “My bad.”

“Actually, it was a good thing you did that,” said Brody. “The cult is on the defensive now, but they’ll expose themselves. This is your best chance to vanquish them all so that no one else falls victim to them.”

“Oh! Then yay me.”

Wyatt rolled his eyes. He grabbed a potion vial and began to pour. “So we know who we’re up against, the potions are ready, and mom’s even coming to back us up. All we need now is to find out where the cult is based or their next target.”

Chris borrowed Tamora’s drawing then handed it over to Joey. “Give it a shot?”

Joey took the sketch. He stared at the illustration for a moment before his entire body tensed up as a premonition played before his eyes. He handed the drawing back to Tamora. “The tea garden at golden gate park.”

Wyatt capped a potion. “Let’s move it, witches!” 

“Have fun,” said Tamora. “I, unfortunately, am too young and pretty to help you fight.” Tamora leaned up from her chair to kiss Piper’s cheek. “Bye, auntie. Bye, boys. Bye, Brody.” She orbed out of the manor. 

Piper leaned against the counter now that she had more space. “Alright, let’s kick some warlock ass!”

Joey gasped. “Mommy’s got some edge.”

Chris chuckled as he took Piper’s arm. “Oh, kid. You have no idea how intense mom can get.”

Wyatt passed a potion to Joey before grabbing Joey's arm as they orbed to the park.

*~*

A young woman stepped off the main path as she walked towards her car. She had her phone pressed to her ear as she spoke to her mother.

“It’s perfect, mom. I can totally see taking the photos here with Shin.”

“That’s great news, Leilah.”

Leilah continued to speak to her mother, oblivious to the group of four men watching her from behind the trees.

One of the men was the warlock that attacked Madison’s mom. He looked younger now after absorbing all her energy before Joey interrupted. The other three men appeared far younger as they already successfully drained their targets. 

A bearded, bronze-skinned man decked out in a black suit stood behind the group as they watched Leilah. He held onto the Wand of Asmodeus before passing it onto his colleague. “Do not fail us again, Baxter. Or else I will send your ass to the Wasteland personally.”

“Yes, Master Aster.” 

The warlock, Aster, smirked. He turned his neck to face the other two. “Nikolas.” A blond-headed warlock. “Oric.” A bald warlock. “Be ready in case the Charmed Ones find us. Baxter’s failure put them on our radar. We can’t afford any risks.”

“Yes, sir.”

Baxter stepped out from the trees to attack Leilah from behind. He extended the Wand of Asmodeus out to begin draining Leilah of her lifeforce. 

Leilah hung up on her mom at the moment. Her knees started to buckle as she felt terribly light-headed all of a sudden. She managed to turn around to spot Baxter, but her vision became too blurry for her to comprehend what he was doing to her fully.

Fortunately, a set of orbs gathered at the park. The boys appeared with Piper and Brody. 

Joey pulled away from Wyatt’s arm. “It started! Brody.”

Brody followed Joey as he already knew what to do. They caught Leliah as she fell with Brody beginning to heal her. 

Meanwhile, Chris waved his arm to rip the wand away from Baxter’s hand telekinetically. The wand flew across the park with Baxter realizing they were present now.

“Fuck!” hissed Baxter.

“Language!” Piper flicked her hands to combust Baxter molecularly.

Baxter howled as he exploded into nothing. 

Joey went over to grab the wand; however, Oric blinked in front of him. Oric gave a toothy smile as he glared over at Joey. “Not a chance, little witch.” Oric kicked Joey’s face, sending him rolling. Oric knelt over to retrieve the wand.

“Shit!” Chris went over to Joey to help.

Piper glared at Oric. “Son of a bitch! That was my kid!” Piper flicked her hands to blow Oric up too, but Oric was strong enough to handle the blast.

Nikolas blinked over to Chris and Joey. Nikolas threw an energy ball at them, but Chris managed to redirect it back. However, Nikolas proved strong enough to resist the blast as it left him momentarily stunned instead.

Before Wyatt could catch up to them, Aster blinked to block the path.

Aster drew an athame from his pocket. “So, you’re the Twice-Blessed child. I imagine your powers could sustain our coven for centuries.”

“You’ll never find out.” Wyatt extended his hand out. “Athame!” Orbs gathered as Wyatt stole the athame from Aster’s hand. Wyatt twisted his hand to send the athame flying towards Aster, but Aster blinked. The athame flew towards Chris and Joey instead. “Chris!”

Chris looked behind him to see the orbs. He flicked his wrist to move the orbs over his head and towards Nikolas. The athame reappeared and struck Nikolas’s chest, triggering his demise. 

Aster returned to find another of his warlocks dead. “Curse you, Halliwells. Oric, the wand!”

Oric resisted another of Piper’s explosions. Oric tossed the wand over to Aster as Piper blasted him again, which proved fatal. Oric erupted into atoms with the wand nearly falling to Aster’s hands.

Joey had a hand over his bleeding nose while he handed the explosion potion over to Chris. “Do it!” 

Chris took the hint. “Potion!” He bathed the potion with orbs then directed the orbs to the wand. The two intercepted with the potion erupting to shatter the wand in its entirety.

“No!” roared Aster. He took in several deep breaths as he glared at them. “This isn’t over. The Cult of Asmodeus shall have its vengeance!”

Aster blinked.

Wyatt slicked his hair back. “Did we win?”

“Sort of.” Piper went over to Chris and Joey. “You just made enemies with your first warlock. You’re officially the Charmed Ones.”

Wyatt leaned over to heal Joey’s face. “All better. What about you, Brody?”

They looked to find Brody blowing Memory Dust in Leilah's face. She appeared dazed as he helped her to her feet. “Healed,” said Brody. “And it looks like the energy that the wand stole was returned to her. The warlock might’ve escaped, but destroying the wand means no one else will be a victim to this particular type of magic.”

Joey poked his nose, which still hurt a little. “At least there's a bit of good news. How does my nose look? Is it still symmetrical and cute?” 

“You’re fine,” said Chris.

“Only fine!”

Piper hugged Joey. “It’s okay, baby. I’ll make you a grilled cheese, and everything will be better.”

“And hot cocoa?”

“And hot cocoa.”

Wyatt and Chris rolled their eyes. “Spoiled brat.”

*~*

The next morning, Chris and Joey found PJ and Hank near the front hall of school. The news of the Charmed Ones battling the Cult of Asmodeus spread across the family grapevine like wildfire. It mostly came from Tamora blabbing to everyone with Phoebe and Paige calling Piper as soon as they got back from the fight.

PJ hung onto Hank’s arm. “Did you check on Mama Madison at the hospital?”

“No time,” said Chris. “We had plenty of injuries to deal with. Our first win wasn’t a very graceful one.”

Joey nodded. “Yeah, the Charmed thing is a bit more complicated than we thought.”

Hank chuckled. “After all the stories we heard from our moms, you really thought it’d be easy?”

“I’m dumb sometimes. Leave me alone.”

“Only sometimes?” said PJ.

Joey groaned. “A warlock broke my nose, and Chris left me naked in a hospital. Can you guys be nice to me for a day?”

PJ and Hank turned to Chris since they knew nothing about the naked part.

Chris turned away just in time to spot Janet coming down the hallway. They overheard Janet giving an update to her friends about Madison.

“So her mom woke up last night. Everything seems fine so far, but they want her to stay another few days for observation,” said Janet.

“Thank God,” said one of the girls. “I’m so happy to know that she’s okay.”

“Me too.”

The girls passed them without paying them any mind. 

PJ and Hank applauded them. Chris and Joey took a bow since their hard work paid off in the end.

PJ grabbed onto Chris and Joey’s arms as she started to walk down the hallway with Hank following next to them. “Good job, boys. It looks like you are worthy of the Charmed legacy.”

“Just don’t fuck it up,” said Hank. 

“How is it that you have so little faith in us?” asked Chris. 

“Because we know you,” said Hank, while PJ nodded in agreement.

Joey rolled his eyes. Before he could defend their honor, Joey spotted Mark coming from around the corner. While not in a singlet this time, Mark looked as handsome in his t-shirt and jeans. Mark briefly glanced in Joey’s direction before wandering across the hall to class.

PJ squeezed Joey’s arm. “You there, boy? Or do we need to get you some lead armor, so you don’t float away?”

Joey shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Chris squinted his eyes. “That dude? Oh, are you crushing on him?”

“You have a crush on Mark?” said Hank. “Ha. I knew it; you are gay.”

Joey slipped free from PJ and started to punch Chris’s arm. “God. Damn. It. Christopher. Perry!”

Chris tried running down the hall, but Joey was quick enough to keep up. “I’m sorry!” shouted Chris. “I’m sorry!”

PJ and Hank couldn’t stop laughing and showed no effort to help Chris since Joey had every right to quick Chris’s ass.


	4. Thief in the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! Welcome to another fun-filled chapter of Charmed: Generation Z! I started outlining a few more chapters and WOOOOOO am I excited for the shit I'm going to write. I don't want to get too far into spoiler territory, but I'm going to touch on some stuff from Seasons 6 and 8, and parts of the comics are going to get roped into this chaos. The character names should drop those hints. Hopefully, you like the mess I'm coming up with.
> 
> Also, I'm finishing my Dragon Quest fic next week, which means that after next week, Charmed: Generation Z will receive weekly updates! So you'll get even more crazy shenanigans from Wyatt, Chris, and Joey! 
> 
> Okay, that's enough for today. Leave those kudos and comments! I appreciate them very much.
> 
> And a trigger warning, there is an attempted sexual assault involving the chapter's innocent.

Students flooded the cafeteria for fifth-period lunch. The lunchline went out the door with everyone trying to get first dibs on the tater tots since it was one of the few good things that came out of the cafeteria. Almost everything else they served was mediocre at best and rotten at worst. 

Joey got in early enough to claim his tots and a seat at the usual table. Joey sat with his friends: Sasha, Hunter, and Ari. They chatted in peace as everyone else got their food and found a place to sit.

“Any plans for this weekend?” asked Hunter while brushing his shaggy, dark hair.

Sasha shrugged with her thick curls sliding across her shoulders. “The usual. Spending it with the family and praying for graduation.”

Ari frowned. She kept her hair short with a pixie cut that made her stand out with her brightly colored clothes. “That’s sad!” Ari leaned over the table to touch Sasha’s hand. “We should go to the mall! That’ll cheer you up.”

“It would,” said Sasha.

Joey rolled his eyes as he plopped a tater tot in his mouth. “Y’all are so sad.” He spotted a figure coming around him. His witchy instincts almost made him want to fight, especially after all the karate lessons he started taking with Phoebe. He grabbed another tater tot as he glanced over to the couple standing across the table. “What do you want?”

“Rude much.” Chris stood there with his friend, a brown-skinned girl named Mira. “Can we sit here? Our usual table is taken.”

“Only if you give me your tater tots.”

Chris glared at Joey. “How about I don’t kick your ass?” Chris smirked as Joey gently kicked a chair over to him. He took a seat with Mira sitting next to them.

Hunter leaned over to Joey. “Man, you’re kind of a dick.” Sasha and Ari agreed with him.

“Not even.” Joey chuckled. “Oh, right! You haven’t met. Guys, this is my older brother, Chris.” Joey ran through the introductions. He only became friends with his lunch group this year since they shared the same English class. And since they haven’t been to the manor yet, and he avoided posting pics of his family on social media, nobody knew about his family.

“Oh!” said Ari. “You’re the one graduating. My sister is working on her college applications. Have you narrowed down your choices?”

Mira ripped her burger in half. “SF State is our emergency school, but we’re pretty confident that we’ll get accepted to our top choices.”

Chris nodded. “We’re shooting for Berkley and Stanford.”

“Shit,” said Hunter. “Good luck with that.”

Joey smirked. “They’ll be fine. They’re both nerds and have a ton of extracurriculars under their belt.”

Sasha shrugged. “It still won’t be easy to get in. They’re super competitive schools.”

“Yeah, but we have faith that we’ll get in,” said Chris. “You, guys, should start thinking now where you want to end up. If you want to get into those schools, then you need to start the work now, or else you won’t make it.” Chris grabbed a tater tot as he stared over at Joey. “Like you, Joseph. You can’t rely on being young and pretty forever.”

As much as Joey loved Chris, he couldn’t stand Chris’s cheap blows. It only got worse for the last two years since Chris became an almost broken record when it came to harping about Joey’s plans. “Well, not all of us have given up on looking pretty,” said Joey. “College isn’t for everyone, Chrissy. Maybe I’ll go down the trade school route like Wyatt. Or I’ll become a social media influencer.”

Chris flipped Joey off for attacking his appearance, while Mira couldn’t stop laughing. Mira patted Chris’s back. “It’s okay. Joey’s right about college. It’s not for everyone. But, Joey, don’t be an influencer. You’re white, so chances are the fame will go to your head, and you’ll start making racist ass videos on Tik Tok. Then, we’ll have to cancel your ass.”

Joey gasped, while everyone else laughed.

*~*

Class ended early to Wyatt’s delight. He unbuttoned his oily shirt and stuffed it into a plastic bag before slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He strolled the halls in his black tank-top, showing off his biceps and pecs. 

He grabbed his phone to make a quick call. “Hey, Gordo. I got out of class early. Are you all home?” He wandered down the hallway, stepping around a guy from his class. “Cool. I’ll be home in forty. I need to pick up a new pack of picks. Then, we can start practicing for tomorrow’s gigs. It’s going to be fucking sick!”

Gordon expressed similar cheer before hanging up on Wyatt. 

Wyatt stuffed his phone back into his pocket. He prepared to make a run for it when he felt a finger tap on his shoulder. He slid back before looking over his shoulder to find a bronze-skinned woman with orange-red hair that flowed beneath her shoulders. She carried a set of textbooks and a tablet with her as she smiled at him.

“You’re in a band?” she asked, not much inflection in her voice.

Wyatt could detect mild interest from the woman. He didn’t pick up on anything that would make him think she was a potential groupie or stalker. Instead, he zeroed in on her t-shirt that bore the logo of a rather obscure local band. “Yeah,” he said, as he started to smile. “My band’s called Dying Liberty. We’re playing tomorrow night at the Cherry Bomb.”

She nodded. “Sweet. I love that place. They’re usually pretty good at picking out a solid lineup.”

“They are. It’s why we busted our asses to get on the list. If we do well there, then it’s our gateway to other venues and more attention to our music.”

“Nice. So, what does your band play? Let me guess; you’re soooo punk.” Her voice purposely stretched out the words to mock the bands that tried to push being hardcore.

Wyatt laughed. “No, not that punk. We’re kinda a new wave/post-punk hybrid. A little Blondie and a lot of the Strokes.”

“Awesome influences,” she said. “That sounds like something I’d be interested in seeing.” She extended her hand out. “I’m Jessica Cruz.”

“Wyatt Halliwell.”

“Charmed, I’m sure.” The irony of hearing Jessica saying that. Wyatt’s lips curled as he shook her hand. “So, you’re looking a little greasy. Are you in the mechanic program?”

“Yup.” Wyatt shrugged. “Gotta pay the bills somehow. And you?”

“Graphic design.” Jessica pointed at the shirt. “This is my design for Duo Bish.” 

Wyatt’s eyes widened. “No way! I love them. And that’s an awesome design. Maybe you can do one for us?”

Jessica chuckled. “Maybe. We’ll see how well you do at the Cherry Bomb first. I don’t want to waste my talents on a mediocre band.” 

Wyatt covered his heart. “That hurts. But fair.”

“Yo, Jess!” A pale-skinned boy came down the hallway. He pushed his glasses over his nose. The first thing Wyatt noticed was how oily the guy’s hair looked, which made Wyatt nervous about an accidental fire. “I was waiting for you. You still need a ride, right?”

“Right!” Jessica patted his arm. “Sorry for keeping you waiting, Malcolm. I was talking to Wyatt about his band. They’re playing at the Cherry Bomb tomorrow. Do you want to go with me?”

Malcolm looked over to Wyatt. Their eyes met with Wyatt almost wincing as he thought Malcolm’s eyes appeared oddly dark. “Yeah. That sounds like fun.” Malcolm held his hand out. “Nice to meet you, Wyatt.”

“Likewise.” The moment that Wyatt took Malcolm’s hand, he felt an odd chill. He didn’t overthink it since he assumed it was his Charmed senses acting extra sensitive.

“Bye, Wyatt!” said Jessica as she followed Malcolm down the hall.

Wyatt shook his head. He checked the time before seeing that he wasted more time than he expected and started to run so that he didn’t keep the band waiting too long.

*~*

As the dismissal bell rang, Joey wasted no time to get on the bus. He chewed on a piece of gum while making his way towards the back of the bus. He scrolled through his Tik Tok feed for anything interesting to watch for the ride.

Joey groaned when he found another kid doing a racist video and blocked the user. Mira’s warning echoed in his head of the dangers of becoming an influencer. He considered crossing that off the list of possible career options. 

Joey blew a bubble, and it popped. He allowed himself to get extra comfy since he didn’t have to worry about sharing the seat with Chris. Chris was at rehearsals for the drama club’s fall play, the Wizard of Oz. As he rolled the gum back into his mouth, he scrolled down the feed to find a video of someone flaunting their OnlyFans money. “I could do porn,” he said.

“Oh?” 

Joey nearly swallowed his gum. He rolled his eyes slightly to see Mark standing over his seat. He ended up swallowing the gum since he didn’t know what else to do in the situation.

Mark smirked. “Is it okay if I sit here? Or do you plan on shooting a sex tape here?”

Joey scooted closer towards the window. “Go ahead,” he said a bit too loudly. His eyes darted over the seat to find that only the bus was full, and Mark could’ve easily sat somewhere else. But Mark chose to sit with him. He licked his teeth real quick to make sure he didn’t have any food stuck there before attempting to talk to Mark again. 

“You’re PJ’s cousin, right?” asked Mark. Joey nodded. “That means you’re related to Chris and Hank too. Are they all your cousins or?”

“Chris is my brother,” Joey said, regaining his normal voice’s volume.

“Got it. Hank, Chris, and I have Physics together.” 

“Nice,” whispered Joey. He scooted a little closer to the window as he scratched his head. “Um...shouldn’t you be at wrestling practice?”

Mark shook his head. “Cancelled today. So I get to go home and play video games for a change. What about you? You’re not part of a club or anything?”

“Nope. I’m just...Joey.” 

Mark nodded. “Cool.” They swayed a little as the bus started to move. They hit a small pothole, which made them bump shoulders. Mark smirked as Joey pressed his backpack against his chest. “Well, just Joey. I guess this is our chance to get to know each other.”

Joey hid the desire to let his eyes bug out like a cartoon. He tilted his head slightly. “Oh, why would you want to get to know me?”

“You seem...different.” Mark chuckled a little as he leaned back. “And kind of cute.” He looked over to Joey, making sure not to break eye contact between them. “I’ve seen you around school. And I noticed you checking me out.” Joey groaned and shook his head. “It’s cool. I only noticed cause I was checking you out too.”

Joey bit his bottom lip. So PJ did tell him the truth when she detected similar feelings from Mark. “I guess I’m not as sneaky as I thought.”

“Who needs to be sneaky when you’re as cute as you are.” Mark’s words made Joey chuckle. 

They spent the remainder of the bus ride talking about school and started to get on the subject of things they liked to do with Joey mentioning a carnival was in town when they approached Joey’s stop. Mark was quick to exchange numbers with Joey before letting him leave.

Joey got off the bus and started to walk up the street to the manor when his phone vibrated. He glanced at it to see Mark texted him with a single question.

Carnival date? Saturday night?

It took all Joey’s might not to scream. He looked behind him to see a few more students walking to their homes, so he needed to keep his cool. He quickly texted back a simple “yes.”

*~*

The stain-glass door opened with Chris returning home. He locked the door behind him while kicking off his shoes. He slid into a comfy pair of slippers since his feet ached from the dancing shoes they made him wear as the village chief of Munchkinland and the manor’s wooden floor would only make the pain worse. 

Chris threw his backpack into the air with orbs surrounding it. He orbed his backpack into his bedroom since he didn’t feel like carrying it all the way upstairs. He felt far too tired to bother with anything as he shuffled into the kitchen to find something to eat.

Since it was Thursday, he knew that Piper was swamped with the restaurant. Thursday nights somehow always ended up the busiest night for Halliwell’s. And since it was Thursday, the weekend crowd would pick up at P3, which meant Leo was gone to help with the setup. 

Chris licked his lips since he knew that meant Joey and him could do whatever they want. They could order in or demolish the leftovers, which Chris planned on doing both. He could already taste the leftover smoked ham that Piper made and also dreamed of Roz’s pizza. 

However, before Chris could give into his food cravings, he felt an ambush approaching. 

Chris jumped back before a flying Joey could pounce. Joey slid across the hallway and bumped against the banister. Chris rolled his eyes. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Joey spun around and laughed. “First of all, ow!” He coughed as he threw Chris a thumb’s up. “Second, I’m going on a date with Mark on Saturday night!”

“Wow! You actually talked and asked him out?”

“He asked me. But that’s not everything. There’s actually a third thing that I need your help with.”

The joy Chris felt for Joey faded since anytime that Joey asked for a favor, it never ended well for him. “What?”

“Wyatt has a show tomorrow night, and I want to go. So…I need your help sneaking me into the club!”

“What makes you think I can get you in?”

“You turn eighteen next Monday. It won’t be that hard for you to get in, and you can disguise me. Please! I want to see Wyatt play.”

Joey dropped to his knees and grabbed onto Chris’s leg while continuing to beg.

Chris rolled his eyes. He knew it would never end until he gave Joey what he wanted. “If we do this, then we’re ordering only chicken and spinach pizzas for dinner.”

Joey groaned. He loved both, but he wasn’t a fan of them on his pizzas. Under different circumstances, he would try to convince Chris to get Hawaiian pizzas but knew how Chris felt with pineapple as a topping. “Deal.” 

*~*

That night, Jessica finished her nightly routine and crawled into bed. She ignored the sounds of her roommates partying so that she could get some rest before tomorrow’s class. Plus, she didn’t want to be too exhausted for the concert. She looked up Wyatt’s band and found their sound interesting enough to want to hear them live.

She started envisioning peaceful dreams as her head rested on the pillow.

However, a dark mist crept into her bedroom. The mist solidified without her noticing the intruder as she was too deep asleep now.

The mist took the form of Malcolm. He gave the sleeping Jessica a wicked grin. He licked his rosy lips with his fangs becoming exposed. He crept closer to her bed and fell to his knees, all without making a sound. 

“You’re a perfect vessel, Jessica,” whispered Malcolm. “It won’t be much longer now before we can properly mate.”

Malcolm’s eyes flashed red as he breathed into Jessica’s face. An eerie mist entered her body, which started to make her moan as she began to rub her hands over her body.

Malcolm smiled as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Soon.” He vanished into the mist while she touched herself for a moment longer before returning to quiet slumber.

*~*

Friday night arrived with Chris and Joey going to the Cherry Bomb to cheer Wyatt’s band. They matched the vibe of the Cherry Bomb’s punk atmosphere as they stuck to dark pants and vintage shirts. And, surprisingly, they got in without any trouble at all. Apparently, on new talents night, the Cherry Bomb allowed under 18 guests to enter.

Joey frowned as he walked through the crowded bar with Chris laughing at his expense.

“I wasted my one chance to sneak into a club,” said Joey.

Chris continued to cackle. “That’s why you should look up a venue before going. Dumbass.” Joey punched Chris on the arm. It didn’t bother Chris the slightest as he shoved Joey a little. Since it was a rock bar, they could get away with a little violence since mosh pits happened often enough. “I’ll get us some water. Go find us a spot close to the stage.”

Joey nodded. He shoved his way through the crowd without too much trouble. He looked around to find the place was fairly packed, which meant Wyatt’s band could get a lot of attention if they did a good job. And since Dying Liberty was playing first, they would find out soon enough what the city thought. 

The lights dimmed out with Chris finding Joey on time. The stage lights went off with them spotting Wyatt from their spot. Joey had to step on the tips of his toes to get a better view.

Wyatt finished adjusting his guitar when Gordon started to bang the drums. Vinny began to pluck the strings of his bass while Steven strummed a cord as he began to sing. They started their first of five songs with the crowd appearing to like the vibe.

The band continued playing and welcomed the cheers they got from the audience. Wyatt smirked when he managed to spot Chris and Joey from the crowd.

At some point during their set, Wyatt tossed his t-shirt into the crowd. He played the rest of their set shirtless with his sweat glistening against his muscles.

Steven grabbed the microphone as they played their final song. “So far. So long. I’ll never forget that face. So far. So long. And I’ll never forget that face. Oh yeah.” His voice deepened for the last verse. “Oh yeah. I pray I never see that face again.”

The cheers boomed against the walls of the Cherry Bomb. Chris and Joey amongst the loudest of the crowd as they screamed Wyatt’s name.

“You know Wyatt?”

Chris looked over his shoulder to find Jessica standing there. The crowd’s cheers started to die out as Wyatt and his bandmates began to clean up the stage for the next band. “Yeah. We’re his younger brothers. I’m Chris. And that’s Joey. Who are you?”

“Jessica. Wyatt and I go to school together.”

“Cool!” Joey said, peaking around Chris to get a closer look at Jessica. “I love your hair! Very Hayley Williams.”

Jessica smiled. “Thanks. I’m a bit of a Paramore junkie.”

“Who wouldn’t be? They’re a great band.”

They kept their chat going when Wyatt slipped in from backstage. He still was drenched in sweat, but he had a t-shirt on now.

Wyatt wrapped his arms around Joey. “What are you two doing here? Isn’t it past your curfew?”

Joey pretended to vomit as he got a whiff of Wyatt’s musky scent. “No, but now I wish that I stayed home.” He shoved Wyatt off him. 

“Oh, you know you love me.” Wyatt rubbed Joey’s head before fist-bumping with Chris. “Thanks for coming, though. I appreciate it. And, I’m glad you made it, after all, Jessica.”

“Glad I didn’t miss it,” said Jessica. “You guys did pretty well. I could be convinced to design some merch or cover art for you.”

Wyatt muttered his thanks to Jessica when Malcolm joined them. 

Malcolm placed a hand on Jessica’s shoulder. For a split second, the life in Jessica’s faded as she became frighteningly still before she shook her head. The change in Jessica’s expression didn’t go unnoticed as the brothers picked it up but couldn’t say anything yet.

“Hey,” Malcolm said, sounding friendly enough. “Your band is pretty good. I’d put your songs on my playlist.”

“Thanks, man.” 

Malcolm turned to Jessica. “I found Greg and Becca in the back. Do you want to hang with them for the next band?”

Jessica nodded. “Sure! Later, guys.” 

Malcolm held his fist out and gave them all a fist bump. “Nice seeing you again, Wyatt.” Malcolm finished bumping fists with Chris when he went over to Joey. 

Joey flinched when their fists connected. He saw Jessica lying in her bed with Malcolm slowly crawling over her as his face morphed into something demonic. The vision transitioned to a pregnant Jessica fainting and ended with him hearing Jessica scream, followed by a baby’s scream. 

Joey shook his head when he noticed Malcolm staring at him. “Sorry. Weird chill.”

Malcolm shrugged as he nudged Jessica away. 

Once Malcolm was out of earshot, Joey grabbed Wyatt and Chris’s arms. “He’s a demon. And Jessica is his victim.”

Wyatt and Chris nodded. Chris grabbed Joey so they could head to the manor while Wyatt would work on setting up his excuse to leave early.

*~*

In the attic, Joey and Chris got to work. They settled in the crowded space filled with their magical supplies. The attic didn’t look quite as crowded as it did before since they relocated most of the junk to the basement now that their home no longer stood on top of an active Nexus. 

Joey stood at the podium as he flipped through the pages of the Book of Shadows to search for Malcolm's demonic identity. Meanwhile, Chris sat at his laptop as he scryed for Jessica. Chris attached an amethyst crystal to his mouse to help with the mystical GPS that Billie developed years ago. It allowed him to keep a constant read on Jessica’s location; he saw she stayed at the Cherry Bomb before moving to another bar.

As they worked, Piper and Leo made their way home from work to find the boys working. They got caught up on the demon situation and worked on helping Joey identify the demon.

Joey turned the page to find an entry for a Succubus. “No, that isn’t right, either.” He flipped the page again to find an entry for an Incubus. “Wait. Maybe this one.”

Piper leaned over to read the faint ink from the entry. “An Incubus. Sons of the demon lord Asmodeus. Like their sisters, the Succubi, the Incubi seeks to drain the lifeforce of mortals. He impregnates mortal women while they sleep to spawn more of their kind. Their victims die as their demonic spawn devours these women from the inside.”

Joey poked at the book. “That’s the demon! He attacked Jessica while she was sleeping and got her pregnant! Wait a minute.” Joey turned to Leo. “I thought a Succubus was a witch who fell to evil?”

Leo nodded. “Some are. But many more are demons born from these nocturnal rapes. A male being an Incubus and a female is a Succubus.” 

Joey’s lips curled. “Okay. Well, since you were an Elder and an Avatar, what do you know about Asmodeus? We fought his cult last week, and now we’re fighting a breed of demons that supposedly owe their origins to him. Should we be concerned that we have to fight him next?”

Leo scratched his head. He carried plenty from his days as a higher power. Even the time he spent as a Whitelighter granted him a vast knowledge of the demonic realm. He could only shake his head as the name Asmodeus didn’t carry much weight. “If Asmodeus really does exist, then he must predate the Elders. The only reference I can recall of him is what this entry says that he’s a demon lord that spawned many demons.”

Joey frowned. “Wow. Some Elder. Maybe we’ll have better luck at finding out about Asmodeus at Magic School. Oh! There’s a Power of Three spell!” Joey started to copy down the spell on a notepad, while Piper laughed at the pained look on Leo’s face.

Piper rubbed Leo’s back. “I think you’re neat.”

Leo smirked. “At least someone appreciates me here.”

Orbs gathered with Wyatt appearing in the attic. He stumbled back when he saw Piper and Leo as he hadn’t expected to see them too. “Oh! Hey, mom. Dad.” He went over to Joey. “Do we know anything about the Malcolm situation?”

“He’s an Incubus,” said Joey, “and I’m copying a Power of Three spell.”

“And I got a location!” Chris jumped to his feet. He glanced at his watch. “It’s after midnight, and it’s a residential address. There’s a good chance that Jessica is going to bed.”

Wyatt nodded. “Let’s get moving then.”

“Wait!” Leo went over to them. “You sure about jumping into a fight right now?”

Chris locked arms with Joey. “If Joey had a premonition, then that means Jessica is an innocent. We have to rescue her and vanquish Malcolm.”

“That’s not what your dad means,” said Piper. “What is your plan? You can’t barge into a woman’s home even if you are going to vanquish a demon. And it really doesn’t look as good since you’re a group of boys.”

“Good point,” they turned to each other. They mumbled a half-assed plan that they could agree on before finally orbing off to Jessica’s apartment.

Piper groaned. “They’re going to make a mess.”

Leo wrapped his arm around Piper’s waist. “They’re still learning. As long as they save Jessica, that’s all that matters.”

*~*

The brothers orbed outside of Jessica's apartment door. Luckily, no one occupied the hallway, which meant the coast was clear. Wyatt extended his hand out to the door to sense any malicious auras. He took a deep breath to concentrate on finding nothing worth breaking the door down over.

Wyatt shook his head. “I can only sense Jessica. And it seems like she’s asleep.”

“Malcolm will attack while she’s sleeping,” said Joey. “That’s the M.O. of an Incubus.”

“Then, we wait outside?” asked Chris.

They didn’t know what else to do. However, they soon heard footsteps in the apartment. Wyatt extended his hand to the door only to feel a sharp chill.

Wyatt grabbed Joey’s hand. “Malcolm’s here.” Orbs quickly swallowed them as they went inside.

On the other side of the door, Malcolm stood over Jessica’s bed. 

Malcolm’s face transformed once more. He embraced his demonic form as he prepared the assault. He shrugged his shirt off and tossed it to the floor. “It’s time, Jessica. We will make beautiful demons.” He started to unzip his pants next.

Orbs gathered behind Malcolm as the brothers reappeared. Joey flipped the lightswitch, alerting Malcolm to their presence. Malcolm spun around and hissed at them.

Jessica rubbed her eyes then screamed once she saw Malcolm’s face and the brothers. “What the hell!”

Malcolm growled. “You ruined this moment!”

“We ruined nothing,” said Chris. “Other than stopping a rapist. Textbook!” He orbed the textbook on Jessica’s desk and tossed it at Malcolm’s face. The textbook struck Malcolm, stunning him for a moment.

Joey ran over to the bed to help Jessica out of bed. “Don’t worry! We’re good witches, and we’re here to save you from the demon.”

“Witches?” Jessica blurted out. “And. Malcolm. Malcolm’s a demon!”

Malcolm started to get back on his feet. “How dare you ruin this for me! Who do you think you are?”

“We’re the Charmed Ones!” Wyatt pointed at the discarded blanket on the floor. “Blanket!” Wyatt orbed the blanket onto Malcolm, binding him with it for a moment.

Malcolm fought himself free of the blanket. 

Joey went over Wyatt and Chris as he grabbed the note from his pocket. They huddled close together, while Malcolm prepared to lunge at them to rip them to shreds with his claws. 

“Specter of women’s dreams,” chanted the boys. “By decree of we, witches, three. We end now this frightful regime.” 

Flames consumed Malcolm’s body as he met his demise. His body faded into nothing as his essence was cast out to the Demonic Wasteland, where he could never harm another soul. Luckily, his fiery demise didn’t leave any lingering scorch marks on Jessica’s room.

“What the hell!” Jessica screamed again. Her eyes wide from fear and confusion as she stared at them. “What just happened?”

They smiled. Chris and Joey patted Wyatt’s back. 

“Your friend,” said Chris, “your problem.”

“Yup! That.” Joey followed Chris out of the bedroom as they orbed out.

Wyatt nervously laughed as he slowly went over to Jessica, helping her onto her feet. “Maybe we should chat. I don’t think you’re going to get much sleep right now. How about some hot tea?”

Jessica nodded. She followed Wyatt out of her bedroom as she tried to process everything.

*~*

The next day, Wyatt knocked on the apartment door. He waited patiently with thoughts of last night, replaying themselves in his mind. He could still see the terrified look on Jessica’s face as they vanquished Malcolm the Incubus. 

The door opened with a tired Jessica gesturing Wyatt inside. She closed the door behind him and led him to the couch. “Thanks for coming. This was the only time I’d have the apartment to myself.”

Wyatt nodded. He wasn’t too surprised about Jessica wanting to see him again, more so that she went through the trouble to find him on Instagram. 

Wyatt appreciated how different the apartment looked in the daylight. He didn’t notice that the place looked like it got ripped out of an Ikea catalog. It had the cozy vibe that reminded him of Paige and Henry’s place, which made him feel quite comfortable.

“It’s cool. So.” He sighed as he joined her on the couch. He went into his pocket to retrieve a satchel. “I figured you’d want me to help you forget about last night. This is Memory Dust. I can use it to erase your memories so you won’t have to worry about the things that go bump in the dark.”

Jessica crossed her arms. “I...I appreciate the offer, but that isn’t why I called you.”

“It's not? Are you sure? Anything longer than a day and the Memory Dust won’t work.”

Jessica nodded. “You and your brothers. Um. You’re the good guys, right? The ones who fight the monsters.”

“Demons,” corrected Wyatt. “But yeah. We’re good witches. We protect the innocent.”

“I don’t want to forget about last night,” blurted Jessica. “If I forget, then I won’t see the signs, and another Malcolm can get to me. I want to remember, no matter how much it scares me.”

Wyatt slid the Memory Dust back into his pocket. “Okay, if that’s your choice, I’ll respect it.”

Jessica smiled. “Thanks. And, if I get in trouble again, can I count on you to help me?”

Wyatt nodded. “I’ll be there.”

“Good.” Jessica allowed her body to sink comfortably into the sofa. “Well, since you saved my life, I guess I owe you. Does your band need a new logo for merch or your EP?”

“We need all the help.” Wyatt chuckled. “I think we should start with merch first.”

*~*

Saturday night, Joey got away from the house by stretching the truth. He convinced Piper and Leo that he was going out to the fair with friends, but Chris knew the truth that he was on a date with Mark. Chris orbed Joey to the fair before leaving to get back to rehearsals for the play. 

Joey met Mark at the entrance. Joey fiddled with the cuff of his flannel shirt until he found Mark with a handful of tickets. Mark looked so handsome in his leather jacket and jeans that gave him a vintage aesthetic. It made Joey think he stepped into the set of _Grease_ or _Hairspray._

They played a few games with neither one managing to win a prize. Mark acted very frustrated that he couldn’t win a dumb Minion doll with Joey mentioning that’s why Mark was on the wrestling team instead of baseball. Luckily, Mark appreciated the joke and still bought Joey a huge bag of cotton candy.

The pink, sugary treat dissolved in Joey’s mouth as they walked towards the rides. 

Joey looked up to the Ferris wheel. “I love Ferris wheels.”

“Really?” asked Mark. “I’m more of a pendulum and drop tower kind of guy.”

Joey chuckled. “You would like scary rides.”

“What’s so scary about dropping over a hundred feet in the air?”

“It’s over a hundred feet!”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Let me guess; you’re afraid of heights. Does that mean you're afraid of flying too?”

“Only if the blind is open.”

“You’re such a scaredy-cat. But you’re not afraid of Ferris wheels?”

“It moves very slowly, and if it falls, then I at least have the cage to protect myself.”

Mark laughed as he took Joey’s hand. “Fine. Want to ride the Ferris wheel with me?”

Joey almost blushed when he felt the warmth of Mark’s hand. He didn’t even speak as he nodded and followed Mark to the Ferris wheel. 

The ascended high into the sky and got a decent enough view of the city, especially at night. The fair was built on a hill, which allowed them a panoramic view. 

“Wow,” whispered Joey as he looked outside the window. “So pretty.”

Mark nodded as he reached out to hold Joey’s hand. “Yeah. Like you.”

Joey turned to Mark at the perfect moment. Their lips touched with their compartment of the Ferris wheel reaching the top. The ride locked in place for a minute, which gave them a minute to have an uninterrupted kiss. Mark’s other hand cupped Joey’s face, while Joey leaned closer, his heart skipping several beats. Joey could taste Mark’s minty breath and cherry lip balm.

Only when the ride started up again, and the compartment started to rock did they stop kissing.

Joey looked to the floor and smiled. He licked his lips, tasting Mark’s lip balm. He didn’t know what to say, so instead, he leaned against Mark’s chest with Mark wrapping his arm around him. They stayed in that position until the ride finally stopped, but as they left the Ferris wheel, they walked together while holding hands.


	5. An Undesirable Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome to the first of many weekly updates! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you have the others. If not more. I had a blast writing it. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! 
> 
> TW: hypnotism and attempted (nonconsensual) sex.

After combing the knots out of his hair, Chris ran downstairs to join everyone in the kitchen for breakfast. He had his face almost glued to his phone as he scrolled through a handful of texts before sending out a reply.

“Morning, peanut!” Piper dropped a handful of fresh blueberries into a bowl of oatmeal. She pushed it across the counter to an empty seat. “Do you want coffee too? And are you excited yet for tomorrow’s party?”

Chris looked away from his phone and took his seat. He glanced over to Joey, who ate his oatmeal with strawberries. Across from them, Leo leaned against the sink as he ate his oatmeal with blueberries too. “Coffee sounds good,” said Chris. “And is it too late to cancel the party?”

Leo patted Chris’s back. “You’re getting a party. And you’re going to like it.”

Joey chuckled before popping a strawberry into his mouth. “Quit being so anti-social, Chrisy. You’re a big, strong man now. Parties come with the territory.”

“I’ve been eighteen for a week, and I didn’t spontaneously combust from not having a birthday party. I don’t need one now.”

Piper waved her oatmeal-covered spatula at Chris. “You’re getting the party. And you’re going to like it!”

Chris rolled his eyes. “I was fine with the family dinner. I don’t need a party.”

“You’re getting one,” said Piper and Leo.

For the remainder of breakfast, Piper and Leo rambled about the party plans. Chris mostly nodded along since there wasn’t a point in him fighting, and he found his text thread more interesting, while Joey added his two cents to stir the pot. Joey tried to convince them to get a creepy clown only for Piper and Leo telling him to be quiet. 

Chris cleaned his spoon before leaving his dishes in the sink. “Later, folks.” He grabbed his backpack from the table.

“Wait for me!” Joey left his dishes in the sink. “Bye, mom. Bye, dad.” Joey ran out of the kitchen while Piper and Leo shouted their goodbyes too. 

Joey slipped his shoes on before rushing out the front door with Chris. He locked arms with Chris as they walked down the front steps onto a brisk, Friday morning. “So, who’s the lovely girl?”

Chris slid his hand into his pocket, guarding his phone. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m not stupid. You’ve been glued to your phone all week and not cause you’re on Twitter. And your friends don’t text that much, which means you’re talking to a girl.” They walked onto the sidewalk as they made their way to the bus stop. “Does she go to school with us? How did you meet? Gasp! Is it a guy? Are you queer too?”

Chris rolled his eyes. He knew there wasn’t much of a point in deceiving a witch who can see into the future. He took out his phone. “Her name is Maya.” He scrolled through the camera roll until he got a picture and showed it to Joey. “We matched on Tinder. And she’s a freshman at City College.”

Joey gasped but for real this time, when he looked at the photo. “Oh, she’s gorgeous!” Maya’s picture had her standing next to an oak tree while wearing a black sundress. Her blonde hair flowed freely down her back, and she also appeared a little pale but had these hypnotic hazel eyes. “Did you find her socials? If she has no accounts linked, then she’s totally a catfish.”

“I have her socials. I’m not an idiot, Joe.” Chris stuffed his phone back into his pocket. “Besides, how would you know to think about a person’s socials? You’re not one of those dumb, fourteen-year-olds that get on Grindr to hook up with men in their fifties.”

“No. But I do watch every teen drama, and there are some valuable lessons to learn from them. That’s why I’m taking things slow with Mark, and why haven’t announced my gayness to our World War II vet turned higher power of a father.”

Chris brushed a strand of hair away from his face. “And I keep telling you those shows will rot your brain. Just look at Riverdale.”

“I don’t claim Riverdale.” Joey pulled his arm away from Chris as they neared the bus stop. “As for Maya, good luck with that one. She’s pretty and looks like trouble. The type of trouble that Taylor Swift would sing about if she was a guy.”

“Maybe I need a little trouble in my life.” Chris’s phone buzzed as he got another text from Maya. She let him know that she was on her way to her morning class.

Joey rolled his eyes as he saw Chris bury his face into the phone. “You’re a Charmed One. You don’t need the extra trouble.”

*~*

Across town, a phone buzzed on the makeup vanity. The young woman grabbed the phone with her hazel eyes reading the text. A joyful chuckle escaped from her throat as she gave a quick response.

“Walking into class. Text you later, Chris.”

Maya placed the phone face down. She finished applying her makeup before walking over to her closet to grab a dress.

However, when she pulled a pink dress from the hanger, a sharp wheeze echoed in the bedroom. She gagged as she turned to the naked young man on her bed that appeared severely dehydrated. His green eyes are becoming almost milk-colored with his bones showing signs that they would protrude from the bronze skin.

Maya strolled to the bed and placed a hand on the young man’s face. The young man tried to pull away but was far too weak to move much as he stared at Maya with his chapped lips trembling. 

“Oh, Philippe.” Maya started to pout as she took his weak hand and brought it to her chest. “You can’t die on me. I haven’t secured my next meal yet.” Maya kissed his forehead with Philippe’s wanting nothing more to cry as he begged for a quick death.

Philippe’s voice cracked instead since he couldn’t bring himself to speak a single word. The days he spent as Maya’s prison left him too weak to do anything but make himself a meal.”

Maya slid into her dress with the fabric grazing against the tattoo on her right rib of three stars with the middle being a pentagram. Once clothed, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. “I look fabulous. Now, I should find a boy to eat for breakfast.” Her eyes glanced to the dying Philippe. “Someone a little more hearty then you.”

Philippe gasped for air before closing his eyes as he slipped into an unconscious state again as his body attempted to conserve what little remained of his strength.

*~*

Joey walked with his hands behind his back as he sauntered inside of Mark’s bedroom. They got to spend the day together for the first time since their date because Mark didn’t have practice today. And it allowed Mark to bring Joey to his house, which was only a few blocks from the manor since that’s where they would have the most privacy from prying eyes.

Mark’s room appeared surprisingly clean for a teenage athlete’s bedroom. Joey expected far more clothes, gear, and used tissues on the floor but noticed almost everything was put properly away. 

Instead, Joey found himself focusing more on the decor. Mark kept it pretty simple with a standard bedroom set and desk. Joey thought the mahogany furniture and dark walls made the space feel quite warm. Joey fell onto the full-sized bed, the maroon comforter sliding slightly from the mattress.

Mark closed the door behind him. Although, there wasn’t much of a point. His parents were still at work and wouldn’t be home for a few more hours. 

Joey kept looking around the room to notice a beanbag chair in front of a 40-inch TV and an Xbox. “Wow, this is impressive.” Eventually, his eyes found their way onto necklace pinned to a board with a silver, pentagram pendant. “Nice pentagram.”

Mark cringed at the mention of the pentagram. He made no effort to show any other emotion as he dumped his backpack on the floor. “Thanks. It was a gift from my dad.” Mark jumped onto the bed and rolled closer to Joey. “So...Netflix?”

Joey laid close to Mark. “But no chill.” 

Mark smiled. “No chill.” He stretched to grab the remote from the end table. “How about we watch a comedy? Stand-up?”

“Sounds fun.”

“Let’s see. Have you watched John Mulaney?”

Joey shook his head. “I’ve seen clips, but I haven’t watched the whole thing.”

Mark chuckled. He got the TV playing the first thing from his list. “Then you’re in for a treat. The dude is hilarious.” Mark patted the spot next to him, beckoning for Joey to really join him. Joey slid up and rested his head against Mark’s chest with Mark wrapping an arm around Joey as they started to watch the movie.

*~*

That night, Chris did something bold and unlike him. He snuck out. 

Maya texted about wanting to meet in person tonight with Chris agreeing. Since Joey’s warning echoed in his head, Chris decided to take advantage of Wyatt’s schedule by having Maya meet him at the club Wyatt’s band played tonight. Chris was glad that Maya agreed to the date, which made him feel a little more comfortable as he had all this nervous energy boiling. 

However, when Chris reached the front door of the club, he almost lost his breath. He saw Maya standing outside the door and appeared as a stunning vision in a ruby skirt and black crop-top. He felt shabby in his navy button-up and jeans. 

Maya turned her head and smiled when she noticed Chris. “Hey! Chris!” Maya rushed over with her heels clicking over the sidewalk. She threw her arms around him as they stood at even height because of the heels. “It’s so great to meet you finally!”

Chris smiled too. “It is. Wow, Maya. You’re even prettier in person.”

Maya smiled. Her hazel eyes flashed a pinkish color with Chris not noticing and instead felt only a deeper sense of desire when looking at her. “You’re too cute. Should we go inside?”

“Yeah.” Chris held her hand as they went inside together with him paying for them. 

They found their way to the center of the crowd as Dying Liberty took the stage. Chris spent most of the set stealing glances at Maya instead of listening to the music.

However, Chris wasn’t the only one ignoring the band. Despite the size of the crowd, more people turned to their phones, with only a few people showing any interest in the music. 

Maya smiled at Chris as her eyes flashed a pinkish color once more. She could sense Chris falling deeper under her sway and knew he was as good as hers now. She turned her attention back to the band and swayed along with the music as she found it mildly entertaining. “They’re not too bad,” said Maya. “A shame no one else thinks so.”

Chris shook his head. Maya’s voice distracted him for a moment, and he noticed the crowd’s reception as the band cleared the stage. “Damn. Poor Wyatt,” said Chris. “They’re not interested.”

“Are they always treated this poorly?”

“The club they performed at last week liked them, so maybe it’s just this crowd.”

Maya shrugged. “That sucks for them.”

A few moments later, they left the crowd to find a secluded spot in the club to talk. They didn’t do much talking as Maya instead kept flashing her pink eyes to pull Chris deeper under the spell.

However, Wyatt had to get in the way.

Wyatt patted Chris’s shoulder, distracting them for a moment. “Yo, Chris! Thanks for coming.” Wyatt moved his hand off Chris. “I wish you didn’t since everyone hates us.”

“Go easy on yourself, Wyatt. Everyone has a rough night.” Chris smiled at Maya. “Maya, this is my older brother Wyatt. Wyatt, this is Maya, my date.”

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at Chris before smiling at Maya. “Hello, Maya. A pleasure to meet you.”

Maya chuckled. “Same to you, Wyatt. I see the charming trait runs in the family.”

“Yeah, we get that a lot.” Wyatt’s eyes darted to take in every bit of Maya as he found it unbelievable that Chris could snag such a beautiful woman. Before his mind completely blew itself up, he noticed the tattoo over her rib. “Nice tattoo. Does it mean anything?”

“No,” Maya smiled. “I just thought it looked cool.” 

“Pretty cool.” Wyatt coughed. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone. I’m gonna go drink with the band as we cry over today’s shit show of a performance.”

Chris waved at Wyatt as he left. Chris turned his gaze back to Maya as her eyes flashed pink once more. Chris’s mind faded as only gut responses remained. “So, I was thinking we could go on a second date tomorrow before the birthday party that my family’s throwing for me.”

Maya leaned closer and placed her hand onto Chris’s hand. “That sounds like fun. Since you’ll be busy later, we should really make the most out of our second date.”

Chris nodded. “We should.” He went silent as Maya leaned even closer and kissed him.

*~*

Well after midnight, Chris orbed into the basement. He couldn’t stop smiling as he thought of Maya and how incredible their date was, especially with all the making out. His joy blinded him to the truth of the hypnotic lure that Maya placed him under. All he could think of was their second date. 

Before he climbed upstairs, he slipped out of his boots. He knew Piper and Leo were deep asleep, but he didn’t want to risk waking them up. He quietly went upstairs and carefully opened the basement door to see no one was there. 

Chris started to make his way into the kitchen when he heard footsteps. He almost panicked when he saw Joey coming from the laundry room. 

“Oh god,” whispered Chris.

Joey covered his mouth to keep himself from screaming. He looked around the corner to make sure their parents didn’t wake up too. “Did you sneak out?”

Chris shushed Joey. From the moonlight that peaked from the window, Chris noticed Joey wearing only his underwear. “Why are you naked?”

“Because I’m sneaking back inside,” whispered Joey. “I left my clothes in the washing machine in case mom and dad wake up; they won’t think I snuck out if I’m naked.”

“Great idea.” Chris gently left his shoes on the ground before pulling his shirt and pants off, then threw them in the laundry room. He was left standing in his underwear too. “Okay. Why were you sneaking out?”

Joey gulped. “I went cruising with Mark. Why did you sneak out?”

Chris smiled. “I went on a date with Maya. You’ll be happy to know she’s a real, pretty girl.”

Joey nodded. “Cool. I’m happy for you.” Joey and Chris walked into the hallway to find that the coast was still clear. “So, truce? Neither one of us rat each other out?”

“Truce.” 

They carefully climbed upstairs to get to their bedrooms without alerting their parents.

*~*

That morning, Joey sat at the dining room table with a plate of reheated eggs and bacon. He groaned as he almost regretted staying out so late. Despite enjoying every minute that he spent with Mark, he hated the lack of sleep and kicked himself in the ass since he got stuck with all the setup work for the party.

“Morning!” Chris walked through the dining room on his way to the kitchen. He started to reheat his birthday breakfast.

Joey squinted his eyes. He grabbed his food and went into the kitchen to find Chris acting very oddly. “Why are you so happy? You’re never happy. You’re the prince of angst.”

Chris spun away from the microwave. The wide grin on his face still freaked Joey out. “What’s wrong with being happy? It’s a great day, and I’m going to have a birthday party. All my friends and family are celebrating me. And I’m in love with a great woman.”

“In love?” Joey coughed. “You only met her last night.”

“So? It’s true love.”

Joey shook his head. “True love? You’ve talked to her for a week.”

Chris groaned as he took his food out of the microwave. “You don’t see my hassling you for liking Mark.”

“I like Mark. I didn’t say I was in love with him." 

Chris rolled his eyes. “Will it kill you to be happy for me, Joey?”

Joey tried to question Chris, but the lovesick logic proved too thick for Joey to break. Joey felt a sharp pain in his gut that signaled something wasn’t right with this Maya situation.

*~*

Later that afternoon, Chris slipped away from the manor. He was frustrated with Joey questioning his love for Maya. If Joey couldn’t accept Chris and Maya’s love, then he couldn’t count on anyone to accept them. He would need to be prepared to run off with Maya so that they could live happily ever after.

Chris arrived at the cafe where he would meet Maya for their lunch date.

Maya sat outside with a cup of coffee. She appeared as beautiful as she did yesterday, but wore a floral-printed dress. She glanced away from staring at a group of tourists to find Chris finally joining her. “Hello, darling. Happy birthday party.”

“Thank you, love.” Chris reached to hold her hand. “I’ve missed you so much. I can’t deal with my family anymore.”

Maya frowned. “Oh, what’s wrong?”

“Joey. He questioned our love. And he’s supposed to be the most accepting one.” 

“Oh, love. I’m so sorry that you have to go through this.” Maya squeezed his hands. She let her eyes flash pink once more to distort Chris’s mind further. She could feel him slipping fully under her control but needed to make it certain. She could sense his magic and knew she could feast on him for months before needing to see out another target.

Chris stared into Maya’s eyes. His vision distorted until all he could see was Maya. It tugged at his heart, making him desire nothing more than her warm embrace. “Thank you, Maya. I can’t believe that a loser like me found someone as amazing as you.”

“Don’t call yourself a loser, Chris.” Maya traced circles on the palm of his hand. “You’re a wonderful guy. And I’m so grateful to have you in my life.”

Chris smiled. “Really?”

Maya nodded. “Yeah.” She got up from the table and pulled him from his chair. “Come on! Forget your family and that dumb party. Let’s go to my place.”

Chris blindly followed Maya as he was so deep under her spell that he couldn’t see the danger that existed before him.

*~*

Wyatt unlocked the front door and slipped inside of the manor with a bag of party supplies and the cake from Chris’s favorite bakery. “Yo, losers! I’m here.” Wyatt went to the dining room to drop off the cake when he heard everyone yell at him in the sunroom. He found Joey there with all their cousins. “Hey, family. How we doing?”

PJ and Tamora blew the balloons, while Paulina worked on the streamers. Joey was busy helping Hank tape the banner.

Wyatt dropped the bag. “That’s the last of the stuff. Mom and dad didn’t need me to do anything else, right?”

“You’re in the clear, Wyatt.” Joey handed Hank the tape. “Although, I would really appreciate it if you help Hank. You’re way taller.”

Hank stuck the banner. “Agreed. Wyatt, can you levitate over here to help Joey before he drops everything.”

Wyatt shook his head. “I don’t feel like helping.”

“Don’t be a jerk, Wyatt,” said PJ. “Help them.”

“Fine.” Wyatt floated to help Joey tape his side.

Tamora blew another balloon. “So, where’s Chris?”

Joey groaned. “Probably with his stupid girlfriend.”

Paulina curled another set of streamers. “Chris has a girlfriend?”

“That Maya chick?” said Wyatt as he floated to the ground. “I didn’t think they were that serious.”

“According to Chris, it’s true love. Even though they’ve only known each other for a week.”

“What!”

Joey nodded. “It’s stupid. I know.”

Before they could argue about Chris, a series of blue orbs descended from the ceiling.

Brody appeared with a concerned look on his face. “Bad news, guys. The Elders alerted me to a new demon roaming around the city.”

Joey and Wyatt groaned. They weren’t exactly thrilled on needing to hunt another demon.

“Sorry,” said Brody. “As for the demon, it’s a Demon of Desire. She’s a nasty demon that targets young, virgin men and drains them of their life force by forcing them to fall in love with her. The Elders already uncovered a dozen bodies of young men, all of whom they're certain were her victims.”

PJ swatted a balloon across the room. “She sounds like a real bitch.”

Brody nodded. “And powerful too. The best means of identifying her is the tattoo she has on her right rib of three stars.”

Wyatt’s eyes widened. “Three stars?”

“Yeah. And the center star is a pentagram.”

Wyatt stumbled to the wall. “Oh shit!”

Hank squinted his eyes. “Oh, shit? Did you sleep with this demon?”

Wyatt shook his head. “No. Maya has that same tattoo.”

“What!” shouted everyone.

Joey grabbed onto Wyatt’s arms. “Chris is with her! And he’s obsessed with her which means he's her next victim! We have to stop her!” Joey looked to Brody. “How do we vanquish her?”

Brody nodded his head. “Um...it requires a holy sword. She needs to be stabbed in the heart with a holy sword.”

“Holy sword,” whispered Wyatt. “We have one of those.” He looked to Tamora, PJ, and Paulina. “Can you scry for Chris?”

Tamora held her hand out. A scrying crystal and map orbed to her hand. “We’re on it!” She started to scry with Paulina and PJ holding onto the crystal too as they waved it over the map to search for Chris.

Hank sat next to the girls. “I guess I’ll sit here and watch.”

Wyatt made Joey and Brody follow him down to the basement. They didn’t know what to expect until Wyatt opened a cabinet door to reveal a giant stone with a sword. The bright steel of the blade and the golden guard glistened even in a dark, dingy basement. 

Joey gasped. “Excalibur.”

Wyatt nodded. The sword that nearly drove Piper insane when she wielded its power years ago; the very sword Wyatt was destined to wield as the ultimate power. He wrapped his hand around the black, leather grip. “Looks like today is the day. I didn’t think I would use Excalibur for the first time to save Chris.”

Wyatt barely needed to tug on Excalibur as it easily slid from the stone. Instincts took over with Wyatt swinging the sword behind him as he looked to Brody. “You think Excalibur is holy enough to kill a Demon of Desire?”

Brody nodded. “I think it’ll do the job.”

“Hey, guys!” Hank started to run downstairs. “We got a location for Chris!”

Wyatt and Joey nodded as they needed to act fast if they were going to save Chris from his demon girlfriend.

*~*

Across town, a hypnotized Chris sat on the edge of Maya’s bed. He stripped down to his boxers with the breeze from the ceiling fan blowing against the small patch of chest hair. His hands dug into the fabric of his boxers as he felt his arousal growing. He paid no attention to the dying Phillipe as Maya’s spell proved far too powerful to resist. Not that Phillipe could provide much help as he couldn’t move his body even as he tried to urge Chris to flee.

Maya slipped out of her dress and started to remove her bra too. Her eyes remained pink to maintain the hypnotic link, while also using her body to overpower Chris’s adolescent mind. “Tell me, Chris, what makes you so special.” She spoke at a low, seductive tone that pulled Chris deeper under her spell. “I sense so much power from you. It is almost intoxicating.”

Maya crawled onto Chris’s lap and placed her hands on his cheeks. She kissed him softly with Chris moaning from the contact. His hands found their way onto Maya’s hips as he stared at her with his eyes glazed over.

“I’m a Charmed One,” whispered Chris.

Maya’s eyes widened. “A Charmed One? I thought you’re supposed to be a woman.”

Chris shook his head. “My mom and her sisters passed their destiny onto my brothers and me.”

“Interesting.” Maya kissed Chris once more. She dug her nails into his skin, causing him to moan again even as she drew blood. “Here I thought you were only a witch. But a Charmed One. You’ll provide years worth of meals.”

“I’m all yours, Maya,” said Chris.

“Thank you, darling.”

Before Maya could sink her nails further into Chris, bright-blue orbs gathered in the bedroom. Wyatt and Joey arrived with Wyatt still holding Excalibur in his hands.

Joey gagged. “Ew! Chris!”

Wyatt raised Excalibur to Maya. “Get your hands off my brother, demon!”

Maya growled as she turned to her intruders. She kept her hands on Chris, while her eyes flashed pink to ensnare them under her spell too. Wyatt gasped with his eyes glazing over and Excalibur slipping from his hands. Wyatt was left completely still, while Joey felt only a headache from Maya’s gaze.

Joey shook his head. He noticed Wyatt’s mind was gone too like Chris. “Oh, great! Leave it to the baby to save the idiots.”

Maya squinted her eyes as she tried to pull Joey under her spell. “Why won’t you fall for me, little boy.”

Joey gagged again. “I’m not into women. And I have a boyfriend.”

Maya climbed off Chris’s lap. She hissed at Joey with her skin turning dark-pink. Her fingers grew in size as did her nails, while her face morphed into a narrow skull with horns growing from the top. Golden jewels dangled over her body, covering parts of her breasts.

“Well, two Charmed Ones is better than one,” said Maya. “That means I’ll have to kill you now.”

Maya lunged after Joey, pinning him against the wall. She grabbed onto his arms while her fangs started to grow. “I’ll rip that pretty face apart!” hissed Maya.

Joey tried to push Maya off him, but she was freakishly strong. “Get off me, you tacky whore!” Joey kneed her in the groin, not that it did much good. She lacked the proper anatomy to do much damage. He wiggled his head away to keep her from eating his face. “Damn it! Wyatt! Chris! Stop falling for this demon’s tricks and help me!”

Joey screamed as Maya tried to bite him again.

However, with Maya’s gaze turned from them, her spell started to weaken.

Chris stared in their direction and eventually started to notice Joey’s situation. He blinked once more with enough of his mind returning to recognize the danger. He shook his head and jumped from the bed. “Joey!” Chris looked over to see Wyatt was still under Maya’s spell. “Wyatt! Snap out of it!” He slapped Wyatt across the face.

Wyatt flinched as he regained enough of his sanity. “Ow! What the hell, Chris!”

“Save me, idiots!” shouted Joey as he tried to push Maya off him.

Wyatt flicked his fingers to freeze Maya. Maya was only inches away from biting Joey when she was left frozen. Joey could wiggle his arms free, which allowed Chris to swing his arm and telekinetically send the frozen Maya flying across the room.

Maya crashed against the opposite wall and became unfrozen in the process. 

Joey took deep breaths. “Excalibur! Stab the bitch with the sword!”

Wyatt looked down and grabbed Excalibur. He started to lunge after Maya when Chris stopped him. “You’re not still under her spell, are you?”

Chris shook his head. “No. But let me help you vanquish her.” Chris placed his hand over Wyatt’s hand. They lunged forward as Maya charged at them. However, in going for a direct assault, Maya left herself vulnerable. Excalibur pierced her heart and engulfed her in flames. She screamed as she met her death.

Ashes fell to the floor with Maya, the Demon of Desire, no more.

Chris stared at Maya’s ashes. He took several deep breaths. “I can’t believe I fell for a demon.”

Wyatt shrugged as he patted Chris on the back. “That just makes you an official Halliwell.”

“We’re not done yet.” Joey went to the bed to check Phillipe’s pulse. “This guy is in seriously bad shape. He needs healing now!”

Wyatt and Chris nodded. Wyatt placed his hands over Phillipe, releasing a golden ray of healing light. “I need backup.” Wyatt glanced at Chris. 

“You know I don’t know how to heal,” said Chris.

“I know,” said Wyatt. “Place your hands over mine. I’ll channel your power.” Chris nodded as he followed Wyatt’s instructions. The golden light grew brighter with Wyatt accessing Chris’s Whitelighter powers to help save Phillipe. “To think, this could’ve been you.”

Chris frowned as he stared at Phillipe. He saw Phillipe’s breathing improving and felt that he might save Maya feasting from him. “I could’ve been me,” whispered Chris. “Thanks, guys. For saving me.”

Joey picked up Chris’s clothes and tossed them over. “That’s what brothers are for.” 

*~*

Afterward, they sent Phillipe to a hospital where he could receive proper care and sent Brody to look over him. They returned to the manor where they could properly celebrate Chris’s birthday party. The family gathered, and naturally, the news of his almost death at the hands of a demon spread like a wildfire. Luckily, Chris’s friends came to the party, so Piper and Leo couldn’t spend too much time scolding him for his online dating gone wrong. At least Phoebe and Paige defended Chris, reminding them that the boys were doomed to falling in love with a demon at least once.

And as everyone started to leave, Chris sat on the couch in the sunroom with another piece of chocolate cake. Balloons covered the floor with the tape holding the various decorations in place starting to unstick

Wyatt and Joey dropped onto the couch next to him. They stayed silent for a moment before glancing at each other, while Chris continued to eat his cake in silence.

Wyatt fake coughed then started to sing. “Toot toot. Hey. Beep beep.”

Chris glared at Wyatt. “Don’t you dare start.”

“Bad girls,” sang Joey. “Talking ‘bout the sad girls.”

Chris growled at Joey. “Et tu, Joseph?”

“Bad girl, sad girl!” sang Wyatt and Joey as they hugged Chris. “You’re such a naughty bad girl!”

“I hate both of you so much!” shouted Chris. Wyatt and Joey laughed at Chris’s misfortune. 

Wyatt kept an arm around Chris’s shoulder, while Joey started to eat some of Chris’s cake. “Oh, you love us!” Wyatt swiped a bit of the red frosting from the plate. “Sorry about Maya, though. It sucks that your first girlfriend was a demon who tried to devour you like a succubus and take your virginity.” 

Chris rolled his eyes. “Thanks. I appreciate your concern.” 

Joey nodded. “Don’t worry, Chris! I’m sure there’s a good girl out there that will make you very happy. Or if you do fall for another bad girl, hopefully, she’s one who won’t try to kill us.”

Chris groaned as he dropped the plate on the coffee table. “You can talk all the shit you want, but if you’re not careful, you’ll date a demon or warlock that tries to kill us. You know our family’s bad luck with love.” Wyatt and Joey fell silent as they were well aware of their family’s romantic history, especially Phoebe’s love life. If they weren’t careful, they could easily fall into a doomed romance with someone like Cole.

“Good point,” said Wyatt.

“Shutting up now,” said Joey. 

Chris smiled as he finally got them to stop tormenting him.

Piper and Leo came into the sunroom. They smiled as they saw the boys huddled up together on the couch. “Well,” said Piper, “look at you three. I think this calls for a family photo.”

“No!”

Leo grabbed his phone and got ready to take a picture. “Yes! Now, sit still and smile!” 

They knew they wouldn’t get out of this predicament, so they forced themselves to behave. Chris gave a fake smile, while Wyatt gave Chris bunny ears, and Joey kissed Chris on the cheek as the camera flashed to capture this moment.

*~*

At a quiet corner of the Underworld, Zurie sat at her obsidian table with the warlock Aster sitting across from her. She clacked her nails against the table while keeping eye contact.

Zurie brought a hand to her chin while she leaned closer. “You certain that you will agree to my terms? A warlock of your rank should know that a contract with a demon always comes at a steep price.”

Aster crossed his arms over his leather jacket. “I understand. The Charmed Ones killed my loyal brethren. We cannot fulfill our sacred oath to Asmodeus with what little numbers remain. We need to rebuild.”

“Yes. I’m aware of your obsession with Asmodeus.” Zurie shrugged. “What you need is to remove the Charmed Ones from the chessboard.” 

“Which is why I need your help.” Aster folded his hands. “You’re the only demon powerful enough to contend with these new Charmed Ones.”

“Oh. Flattery will get you everywhere, Aster.” Zurie curled her index finger, gesturing for Aster to follow. She led him to a cauldron. She waved her hand over the red surface and caused a ripple to show an image of the Halliwells. “This family’s been a major thorn at our side for over a century now. And these young ones are the biggest threat yet. If they aren’t dealt with soon, then they’ll become a greater threat than their mother and her sisters.” She smiled as she leaned closer, conjuring a prophecy to find a means of aiding Aster. “Hm, I see a window of opportunity. One where your beloved Asmodeus can return.”

Aster squinted his eyes. “You shouldn’t speak so ill of a progenitor. How many demons owe their existence to Asmodeus?”

Zurie chuckled. “And I’m not one of them. Besides, why do you care? You’re a warlock. You owe nothing to demons. My kind has subjugated the warlocks since the first of your kind.”

“I’m a loyal follower to Asmodeus and the blessings he granted his followers.”

Zurie sighed as she pointed to the cauldron as a new image appeared. “Follow him. And he shall lead you to bring the Charmed Ones’ downfall.”

Aster smiled as he recognized the face that appeared in the cauldron. The handsome, young man bore a close similarity and was someone that Aster knew he could manipulate to do his bidding. “Well, I suppose it's time for a father-son reunion. We can even bond on the Charmed Ones’ graves.”

Zurie laughed. “Have fun, daddy.”


	6. Bullet to the Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! Yay to me for getting a chapter done on my birthday week. It's not like I can go anywhere or take the gaycation like I wanted to since my birthday finally lands on a Saturday! UGH! 
> 
> Anyway. Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> TW: gun violence/shooting.
> 
> P.S. Brace yourselves as we approach the brothers' confrontation with Aster. The next two chapters are going to be a doozy.

The chilly, January morning made Joey wish for his bed and blankets. He leaned against Chris’s arm while they stood at the bus stop. “So sleepy! Why can’t you just orb us to school?”

Chris pushed Joey off him. “Personal gain.”

“It’s not personal gain if you call it practice.” Joey yawned. He looked down the street to see the yellow bus approaching. He found himself grateful. 

The bus stop got more crowded as the students huddled closer together as they filed into the bus. Everyone remained silent as they entered the warm bus and prepared themselves for the dreadful day.

Chris scooted closer to Joey. “Did you remember the present?”

Joey nodded. “Of course, I did. I’m not a bad boyfriend.”

“I wasn’t accusing you of anything. Just wanted to make sure.”

They became silent for a while longer until they reached Mark’s stop. Mark started to climb into the bus with Chris jumping to the seat next to them. Chris winked at Mark while Mark slid next to Joey. Chris dug his headphones out of his backpack so he could ignore them.

Mark smiled as he grabbed a small baggie from his coat pocket. “Happy three-month anniversary.”

Joey gratefully took the present before getting Mark’s gift from his backpack. He handed Mark a small baggie too. “Happy three-month anniversary.” Joey opened his present as Mark opened his also. Joey found a beaded bracelet with black stones and a few colorful rocks, half of which he didn’t recognize. “It’s cute.” 

“It’s supposed to represent the solar system,” said Mark. “The website also said it’s supposed to help amplify your spiritual fortitude too.”

“I love it.” Joey slid the bracelet onto his wrist.

Mark opened the baggie to find a necklace with a pendant of an emerald Green Lantern logo dangling from it. Mark smiled as he put on the necklace of his favorite superhero. “Sweet. I love it.” He leaned closer so that they could kiss. They kept it brief and quiet, even as everyone on the noisy bus was too distracted to pay them any attention. They didn’t want everyone to know their business. 

Minutes later, the bus stopped at the school with everyone filing out. Mark and Joey said their goodbyes for the day. Joey started to make his way to homeroom when Chris came over to flick his ear.

“Later loser,” said Chris.

Joey tried to shove Chris, but Chris had already made a run for the stairs. Joey muttered under his breath that he would revenge as he went back to walking for class.

However, Joey got distracted once more. Hunter chased him down with a frantic look in his eyes and explained that they needed to talk. Hunter dragged Joey to the nearest restroom. Hunter did a quick sweep of the stalls to find it was luckily empty.

Joey groaned. “What’s going on, Hunter? You’re going to make me late.”

“I’ll be quick. I swear.” Hunter grabbed his phone. “So, last night, I was getting ready to jerk off. And I wanted to find something good to watch.”

“TMI, Hunter.” Joey backed away. “I’m not going to watch porn with you if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“You need to watch it!” Hunter loaded the video and put the audio on mute. He skipped part of it before showing the video of two men and a woman. “Ignore the nakedness and focus on the dude in the middle. Doesn’t he look familiar?”

Joey rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe that he was watching porn at school with his friend. He dreaded the thought of getting caught but still humored Hunter to get out of here quicker. 

The trio looked cute. Joey noticed the OnlyFans link of a MadamKorra and thought good for her that she got a pair of bisexual guys to play along with her. The guy in the middle dropped to his knees, kissing the woman before turning his head to face the other guy’s crotch. At that moment, Joey jumped as he covered his mouth.

“Oh my god!” said Joey. “That’s Wyatt!”

Hunter exited out of the video. “I thought so! And he has other videos too of him messing around with girls and other guys. I didn’t know your brother is bisexual.”

Joey stuttered with the image of Wyatt about to have sex now burned into his brain. “Neither did I.”

*~*

As Joey flipped about discovering Wyatt’s secret, Wyatt ended up at Magic School after classes let out for the day. He orbed there since he asked for the school’s librarian, Miss Donovan’s help months before, when the trouble with the Cult of Asmodeus started. He found Joey’s questions of the possibility of confronting the actual Asmodeus as too likely that he wanted them to go into that fight prepared. And today, he finally got word from Miss Donovan that she finished scouring all records at Magic School for all references of Asmodeus. 

Wyatt’s feet clicked against the tiled floors, with most of the students gasping when they saw him. Without actually being a student, Wyatt held quite the reputation with the student body as both the Twice-Blessed and now a Charmed One. A part of him enjoyed the attention, but he also found it annoying to find so many people frightened of him.

He found his way into the library without any trouble. Students crammed into the space to finish their studies, while the red-headed witch Miss Donovan levitated to reach a book that a student needed.

“Miss Donovan.” Wyatt went over to the bookcase. “Do you have time to talk?”

“A little busy, Wyatt.” Miss Donovan floated to the ground and handed the book to the student. “I’m a bit understaffed and have so many students with questions. Midterms are starting, so everyone's having a witchy panic attack.” She grabbed another set of books from a cart that she handed to a group of students sitting at a table. “Go find Paulina. She’s been helping me fulfill your request and knows as much as I do.”

Wyatt squinted. “Paulina? My cousin?”

Miss Donovan nodded. “Yeah. She volunteers here a couple of times a week when PJ’s busy at cheerleader practice or something. She’s a big help too. She’s got the eye of a librarian.” She pointed behind another bookcase where Wyatt found Paulina checking in some books.

Paulina didn’t have a care in the world as she hummed a song. She scanned books for Miss Donovan and sorted them into the return carts.

Wyatt slid across the table to join Paulina. “Hey, cuz.”

Paulina gasped. “Oh! Hey, Wyatt.” She looked over his shoulder to notice Miss Donovan helping a professor now. “I guess that means you’re here for the Asmodeus research.”

“Yeah. Why didn’t you tell me you were working as Donovan’s research assistant?” 

Paulina shrugged. “You never asked. And I didn’t think you’d care.” She gestured to him to follow to a file cabinet. She grabbed a bulky file that Miss Donovan prepared for Wyatt. “Here’s everything we have on Asmodeus. I’m actually impressed with what we have, but Miss Donovan said that we likely had more records, but the demons probably stole them during the takeover.”

Wyatt nodded as he recalled the demons’ control of Magic School after Zankou destroyed the school’s barrier. After their moms took care of Christy and the Triad, it took months before they finally regained control of Magic School for good. Then, it took almost a year before the school could even reopen.

Wyatt flipped open the file. He found a catalog with Miss Donovan’s handwriting of essential texts for further review. He flipped the pages to find scanned copies of passages that could help him. “What should I know now about Asmodeus? Can we even confirm if he’s real?”

“Yeah.” Paulina nodded. “There are records of an Asmodeus. Two, actually. One we know as a member of the Triad, but we also found documentation of an Asmodeus that predates the Triad. I think that the Triad’s Asmodeus took his name from this older Asmodeus. Miss Donovan and I did more research to find out that many demons actually took the name of other demons and magical beings. I even found biblical references to Balthazor that predates Cole by a good thousand years.”

“Which means that the cult worships the older Asmodeus, right?”

“And that one is described as multiple things.” Paulina grabbed a packet within the folder. She beamed as she showed everything to Wyatt. “We have references to Asmodeus as an ancient demon, a fallen angel, and a lesser Hell-lord. Some of these references go as far back as Zoroastrian traditions.” She flashed different papers to Wyatt of different artistic representations of Asmodeus. The demons she showed him look far more horrific and creative, then the last. “I found a degree of consistency in these records, all pointing to Asmodeus carrying an insane level of power. We’re talking Zankou and the Source of All Evil strong. If even half of this information lines up together as truth, I don’t even think that the Power of Three alone is enough to vanquish him.”

Wyatt blinked as he looked to Paulina. “Wow...this is a lot of information to take in, but I’m also shocked by how loud you are in a quiet place. This is the most I’ve ever heard you speak, Polly.”

Paulina chuckled as she briefly buried her face into her fuzzy, pink sweater. Then, she started placing all the papers back into the folder. “Sorry. I guess I got a little excited.”

“Don’t be.” Wyatt placed his hand on Paulina’s shoulder. “Never apologize for being your true self. Your mom wouldn’t allow that, and neither would I. You got that?”

Paulina nodded. “I won’t.”

Wyatt smiled. He took the folder. “I guess that means I got some research to do. Thanks for all your help, Ms. Junior-Librarian.” He glanced at the time on his phone. “I need to get going. Joey called and wanted to talk. I’ll see you later, Polly.” Wyatt gave Paulina a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Bye, Wyatt.” Paulina waved him off while he light-blue orbs surrounded him.

*~*

Arriving at the foyer of the manor, Wyatt pressed the file of Asmodeus against his chest. He called for Joey only to hear him from the living room. He turned to find Joey there with Chris and their parents. Wyatt placed the file on a shelf as he walked closer to his family.

Wyatt bore an inquisitive look as he noticed Chris sitting on the couch, clutching onto an envelope until his knuckles turned stark white. “Something going on here that I should know about?”

Chris gulped but couldn’t muster the energy to speak. 

Piper smiled. “Chris got a letter from Berkeley’s admission office.”

“I didn’t get in,” said Chris. “I know I didn’t get in.”

Leo sat next to Chris. “You don’t know that. You haven’t even opened it yet.”

Chris shook his head. “There’s no way I got in. My dream school is rejecting me.”

Joey rolled his eyes. “Oh, for Christ’s sake. You’re not afraid to go out on a date with a Desire Demon, but an envelope scares you.” Joey reached for the envelope with the arm that wore the bracelet that Mark gave him. “I’ll open the damn thing then!”

“Like Hell, you will!” Chris pressed the envelope against his chest to keep it out of Joey’s reach. He finally let out a deep sigh. He couldn’t drag it out any longer. “Fine...here goes.” He ripped the envelope and pulled the letter out. “Dear Christopher Perry Halliwell.” 

Chris’s face drooped as he read the letter. Tears streamed from his eyes as he covered his mouth. Everyone frowned with them, muttering their condolences since Chris didn’t make it. 

However, Chris soon smiled. “I got in!” He jumped to his feet. “I got early admissions into Berkeley!”

Screams boomed against the walls of the living room. “My baby got into Berkeley!” Piper nearly shoved Leo out of her way so that she could hug Chris. Leo didn’t appear bothered as he got in to hug Chris too. 

“Go, Chris!” said Joey.

“Good job, man!” said Wyatt.

They started to hug Chris too. Chris kept crying as he proudly showed off the acceptance letter. He bounced against the walls with nothing restraining him.

A moment later, Joey tugged on Wyatt’s arm. He mentioned the kitchen with Wyatt following, while Piper and Leo focused on celebrating with Chris.

Joey closed the kitchen door and stayed close to it, while Wyatt leaned against the counter.

Wyatt grabbed an apple from the fruit basket. “What do you need to talk about, squirt?” He took a bite. “Is it about Asmodeus? I got a file on him now from Magic School that we can look over.”

“Not that.” Joey grabbed his phone. He flipped open Wyatt’s sex tape but left it unplayed as he showed the screen to Wyatt. “Um...so about this?”

Wyatt’s mouth hung open with the chewed apple falling to the floor. “Oh shit!” He bent over to grab the chewed food partly out of fear of Piper, but also to give him a minute to think. “How did you find that?”

“My friend at school. And...he also told me of your other videos with girls and guys.” Joey stuffed his phone in his pocket. “So, you’re a pornstar? And you do gay for pay.”

Wyatt covered his face. He groaned from the embarrassment that his youngest brother uncovered his online career. “Pornstar is a stretch. I just sometimes record my sex life and post it online for money to help pay for rent and things for the band. It’s pretty decent cash since I only get a minimum wage from the auto shop.” Wyatt placed the half-eaten apple on the counter. “And it’s not gay for pay when you’re into it.” Wyatt took a deep breath. “I’m bisexual.”

Joey smiled. “Cool.”

Wyatt looked to Joey with a nervous smile. “Cool? You’re not going to tell mom and dad that I do porn?”

“That’s on you. Not me.” Joey leaned against the counter too. “And, well, since we’re sharing.” He held his arm to show off the bracelet. “Today’s my three-month anniversary. With my boyfriend, Mark. Mark Meade.”

Wyatt’s eyes widened as he gasped. He showed Joey a limp wrist with Joey nodding. “Huh. I figured you’re gay. Glad you finally feel safe enough to tell me.”

“I didn’t even know you looked at guys that way.”

“Well, I don’t kiss and tell.” Wyatt laughed. “I just post the videos online for money.” Joey started to laugh too. Wyatt curled his lips as he recalled the name. “Mark Meade. Isn’t he in Chris’s year? You’re dating a senior!”

Joey nodded. “Is that a problem?”

Wyatt sighed. “I can’t tell you who to date since he’s still in high school too, but I don’t like the idea of you dating someone that much older, especially as a first relationship. Just screams trouble.”

“We’re good,” said Joey. “Chris knows too.” 

Wyatt snorted. “Of course, Chris knows everything because we tell him all our secrets.”

“Damn right! And he’s no snitch!” Chris stood at the kitchen doorway. He slammed his acceptance letter on the counter while glaring at them. “You couldn’t let me have one day! That’s all I ask. One. Day!” He punched them in the arm. “You come out to each other.” He pointed to Joey. “You tell him about your secret boyfriend.” Then, he pointed at Wyatt. “And you get your porn career exposed.”

Joey and Wyatt tried to shush Chris, but he was on a roll. Chris silenced them as he whispered, angrily. “One day! Let me have one day where I’m the center of attention.” He started to walk out of the kitchen slowly. “You’re lucky mom and dad didn’t catch you. I ought to vanquish you both for trying to steal my thunder.”

As they watched Chris leave, they cringed. Wyatt wrapped his arms around Joey’s shoulder as he started to eat the apple again. “He is such a middle child.”

Joey nodded. “We need to find him a girlfriend before he goes full MRA and loses it.”

They laughed as they hugged each other. 

*~*

That evening, Mark touched the Green Lantern necklace that Joey gave him for their anniversary before stepping out of his car. He was going to meet his parents for dinner at their favorite pizza joint. He got there late because of wrestling practice, but he got a ride home so that he could shower and take his car. 

Mark went inside the restaurant and found his parents sitting at a corner table. He gleefully joined them with his craving for their Philly cheesesteak pizza, knowing no limits. However, he stopped when he noticed another person at the table. 

His mom and stepdad looked over to greet him. Then, their guest looked over his shoulder with a grin appearing on his face.

“Hi son,” said Aster.

Mark backed away. “No! Not this again.” 

“Mark, wait!” said his mom.

“No!” Mark stormed out of the restaurant.

Aster got up from his chair. “Let me handle this. I’ve missed enough of the poor guy’s life. It’s only fair that I set things right.” Aster followed Mark outside. He tugged on his leather jacket as the chill even bothered a heartless warlock like him. “Come back inside, Mark. We can talk over a nice dinner.”

“Fuck off!” Mark gave Aster the middle finger. “A nice dinner? I see you once every few years. And you only come when you want something. So what do you want now, Aster? Another drop of blood? A lock of hair for your freaky genetic experiments?”

Aster hid a smirk. If only Mark knew the truth behind Aster’s previous requests. All of which served his mission to kill witches and spread evil on behalf of Asmodeus. “That’s not why I’m here, son. I really want to make things right between us. So we can have a real relationship.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Whatever! You’re eighteen years too late. So fuck off and go back to whatever sewer you crawled out from.” Mark got in his car and quickly started the engine so he could drive home. He wanted nothing more than to get as far away from Aster as he could.

However, Mark wouldn’t get too far. Before Mark could start the engine, Aster blinked into the car. Mark nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw what happened. “How the hell?”

“You answered your own question.” Aster took the pentagram necklace from Mark’s bedroom out of his pocket. “It’s time for you to take your proper place at my side, Markus.” Aster flicked his finger, causing the pentagram necklace to appear around Mark’s neck. The pentagram glowed with Mark’s eyes briefly flashing dark. “Embrace the darkness, Markus.”

Mark shook his head. He took a deep breath while grabbing onto the steering wheel. “I guess we can talk over dinner.” The pentagram stopped glowing as the spell started to take effect over Mark’s mind.

Aster smiled. It would take some time before Mark entirely fell under his spell, but Aster could wait. After all, it was all in service to Asmodeus. “Great,” said Aster. “I don’t know about you, but I’m positively famished.” 

*~*

The sharp chill swept through the streets of San Francisco as the moon rose over the sky.

“Later, Gemma! Later, Filipe!” Hank stepped out of the Crazy Do-Nut donut shop with a bit of flour and powdered sugar on his t-shirt. He finished his four-hour shift and was ready to go to bed. Well, first, he needed something to eat.

Hank zipped his sweater and pulled his backpack closer before heading over to the bus stop.

However, Hank didn’t get that far from work. Hank turned left for the bus stop when he bumped shoulders with a tall man. Hank stumbled back with the man offering his apologies. 

“No worries, man,” said Hank. 

“Sorry.” The man started to walk away again, only to stop and turn to Hank once more. “Wait a minute. I think I’ve seen you before. Is your dad named Henry? Henry Mitchell?”

Hank squeezed onto his backpack’s strap. He never liked people asking him about Henry since his cop record could spell trouble. “Yeah? That’s him. Why?”

The man smiled as he reached for a holster. Before Hank could budge an inch, the man pulled a 9mm out and cocked the trigger. Hank gasped as the man aimed the gun with his pinky finger’s flexor missing. “Tell your dad to go to Hell.” The man pulled the trigger, shooting at Hank’s chest.

The sound of the gunshot echoed down the street. The man ran while Hank fell to the ground, blood pouring from the wound on the right side of his body.

Gemma, a petite Vietnamese girl, ran from the donut shop. She screamed when she saw Hank. “Oh my god! Hank!” She knelt over next to him. She tore her apron off to apply pressure to the wound. She looked over her shoulder to the young Mexican man as he stepped out too while holding onto a phone. “Filipe! Call 911! Hurry!”

*~*

Wyatt and Joey came back into the living room with a stack of menus. They planned on ordering in for Chris’s celebration dinner when they spotted a worried Piper on the phone.

Piper nodded. “We’ll be right there, Paige. I’ll call Phoebe.” She hung up the phone and turned to everyone else. “Hank’s in the hospital.”

Joey covered his mouth. “Oh my god. What happened?”

“Someone shot him outside of work.” Piper started to dial Phoebe’s number. “We need to get to Memorial. Can you orb us?”

“Of course,” said Chris as Piper went into the foyer so she could let Phoebe know what happened to Hank.

Wyatt leaned over to Chris. “Not upset about your thunder stolen now?”

Chris glared. “Shut up.”

Leo squinted his eyes. “Is there something going on?” he asked, only for the boys to respond by saying nothing.

Piper returned with her purse. “Phoebe and Coop will meet us there. Let’s hurry.” 

They orbed into the hospital parking garage, which luckily didn’t have any people roaming. Within a second, a pink glow appeared as Phoebe and Coop arrived. PJ and Paulina also appeared as this moment was a family affair. 

Phoebe took Piper’s arm as they walked into the hospital with her dark curls bouncing against her shoulders. “How’s Paige holding up?”

“Scared,” said Piper. “I don’t know much else since Hank was unconscious when they brought him here.”

“Poor them,” whispered Phoebe.

They went into the hospital to find Hank on the fourth floor and leaving the operating room. They rushed to the elevator and made it to find Henry stepping into a room. They caught up and saw Hank hooked up to machines with his teary-eyed family. Tamora clung to Paige as they got more news. 

Henry stuffed his hands into his pocket. “It was a clean shot,” he told them. “The bullet didn’t shatter, so the doctors easily removed it.”

“That’s good,” said Leo as his World War II medic training took over. “What’s the overall damage?”

“Not as bad as it could’ve been. They’re looking for blood for a transfusion.”

Henry approached Hank’s bedside as they saw Hank’s eyes fluttering open.

Hank smiled as the anesthesia started to wear off. His hospital gown slid over his shoulder to reveal the gauze patch that covered the operating wound. “Wow. Everyone’s here,” Hank said, weakly. “Don’t I feel special.”

Coop chuckled as he joined everyone as they crowded the room. “How are you feeling, kiddo?”

“Like I got shot.” Hank rubbed his forehead. “Dad...the guy knew you.”

Henry’s heart sank. “What?”

Hank nodded. “He asked me if you were my dad before shooting me.”

“Christ,” whispered Paige as she sobbed. “I can’t believe someone would actually do that.”

Before they could further question Hank, a nurse knocked on the door. 

The nurse waved as she approached Hank while looking at Henry and Paige. “I got some bad news. We’re out of O- blood for Hank. We’ve already called the bank, but it looks like they might not have any either.”

Paige sighed. “And the hits keep coming.” She placed a hand on Hank’s wrist. They couldn’t use magic to heal him since they were in a hospital. And they needed the blood now before they could even attempt to help him. 

“Being O+ sucks,” said Hank.

Wyatt approached the nurse and didn’t even hesitate to speak up. “Can I donate to him now? I’m O-.”

The nurse blinked then nodded. “Of course! How old are you?”

“Eighteen,” said Wyatt.

“Okay, I’ll get the paperwork. I’ll be right back.” The nurse stepped outside.

Piper took Wyatt’s hand. “Wyatt. You know it’s dangerous for us to donate blood to mortals.” She glanced at Hank before looking to Wyatt again. “Dr. Williamson died because our powers drove him mad.”

“He also repeatedly injected himself with your blood,” said Wyatt. “This is one transfusion.” 

The nurse returned. “Come with me, sir. And we can get you started.” Wyatt nodded as he ignored Piper’s complaints and followed the nurse.

Tamora pulled herself away from Paige as she went over to Hank’s bed. “Do you know who attacked you? Gemma and Felipe didn’t get a good look at him.”

“I didn’t get a name,” said Hank as he struggled to keep his eyes open. “I barely even remember what he looked like.

Joey curled his lips. He glanced at Phoebe before walking over to Hank. “Maybe I can fix that.” He reached to hold Hank’s hand. “Try to remember. Maybe you can trigger a vision.” Hank nodded. When Hank closed his eyes, Joey felt a sharp chill before he pulled away from Hank as the vision ended. “I got a face.”

Phoebe gently took Joey’s hand. “Show me.” Phoebe braced herself as she guided Joey into sharing a vision. They took a deep breath with their hands glowing from a golden light for a moment as she saw Joey’s vision too. “I know the face too. We can find him.” She looked at Henry. “We’ll need to go through your records. He was probably one of your paroles.” 

Henry nodded. “I can take you to the office.”

*~*

Chris orbed Henry, Joey, and Phoebe to the police station while everyone else stayed at the hospital with Hank. The police station was oddly quiet since it was a slow night, and only a few other officers remained in the station; everyone was so scattered that they didn’t pay Henry’s guests much attention. 

They dug through Henry’s records to find any traces of Hank’s shooter. They searched for any man that matched the description from the vision as they sought a pale man over six-foot with dark-blond hair. 

Chris flipped through a folder of some of Henry’s most recent paroles. “Any guess on age? Or scars? Tattoos?”

“None,” said Joey as he scooted closer to Henry as they scrolled to the computer. “And, I wouldn’t trust me to guess his age. Any guesses, auntie?”

Phoebe brushed her hair back before starting the folder. “If I had to guess, I’d say he’s in his early thirties.”

Henry bit his lip. He tried to recall his paroles. “That doesn’t narrow it down much.”

Joey closed his eyes as he tried to recall the vision. Then, he gasped and swatted Henry’s arm. “He’s missing the top of his pinky finger!”

“Pinky finger.” Henry’s eyes lit up as he recalled someone matching that description. He keyed in a name with the picture coming up. “Is this him? Jackson Lang.”

Joey nodded. “That’s him! That’s the guy.”

Phoebe leaned over to get a closer look at the computer too. “Yeah, that looks like him. What’s his story?”

Henry crossed his arms over his chest. “Jackson and his brother, Greg, got released from jail a few years ago. It was a minor drug sentence. Nothing that they couldn’t bounce back from, but Jackson went back to selling. He started selling meth, and things got bad for him and his distributor. Jackson failed to keep his sails up; he lost a finger and got Greg killed. I ended up having to testify against him and sent him back to jail.” Henry sighed. “Jackson got released a month ago.”

“And he blames you.” Chris closed the file he looked through and placed it on the desk. He stuffed his hands into his pocket. “Do you have a current address?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Joey smirked. “I think Chris wants to interrogate him.” 

“No,” said Henry and Phoebe.

“Yes,” said Chris and Joey.

Chris leaned across the computer and memorized the address. “Trust us. We can get to Jackson without getting you into any more trouble.” He looked over to Joey. “Let’s go.”

“Going.” Joey ran over to Chris. And before Henry or Phoebe could stop them, Chris dragged Joey out of the office and orbed them out as soon as he could.

*~*

Light-blue orbs gathered outside of the door of a dingy apartment complex at Hunter’s Point. Chris and Joey materialized with Brody joining them too as an added piece of security since Wyatt was still busy at the hospital.

The apartments were oddly quiet, which left them feeling a bit insecure about the situation.

Brody backed away from the door. “Are you boys, sure about going through with this? It’s a pretty risky plan.”

Chris nodded. “We got it.” He snapped his finger and triggered a glamour spell over himself and Joey. They took on new faces with Chris gaining blond hair and a few pounds of muscle while Joey looked shorter and had a buzz cut. “Stay behind me.” He swung his arm to rip the door apart telekinetically. 

Inside, Jackson Lang jumped from the couch. The apartment looked as dingy as it did on the outside with hardly any furnishings. Jackson matched the picture from Henry’s database and Joey’s premonition.

Jackson reached across to a broken coffee table for a gun. However, Chris swung his hand once more. The telekinetic force grabbed onto Jackson’s gun arm and shoved him against the wall. He couldn’t mess with the trigger at all. And now he looked terrified as Chris kept him restrained.

“What the hell are you!” said Jackson. 

Joey smiled. “X-Force.”

Chris held his other hand. “Gun.” Light-blue orbs gathered to disarm Jackson. The gun floated over Chris’s hand with him disassembling the gun with his mind. He dropped the pieces to the floor as Brody stepped inside. “We should get started.” He pointed to the door. “ _Let the object of objection become but a dream. As I cause the scene to become unseen._ ” The door started to repair itself so that they could regain their privacy. 

Joey walked closer to Jackson while Chris retained his hold. “You’re going to tell us why you attacked Henry Mitchell’s son,” said Joey. “And we’re going to make sure you’re honest.”

Jackson spat at them. “I’m not telling you a damn thing, freaks!”

“You will.” Joey smiled. “ _For those who want the truth revealed. Opened hearts and secrets unsealed. From now until sixty seconds. After which, the memory ends._ ” They watched as white lights flickered around Jackson’s face. Joey clicked the timer on his phone to keep track of the pressure seconds they had until the spell faded. “Tell us why you shot Henry Mitchell’s son.”

Jackson clenched his teeth, but the spell left its mark. “I wanted to get my revenge on Mitchell for putting me back in jail.”

“Which was your own fault,” said Chris. “Henry didn’t make you sell meth.”

“I know!” said Jackson.

Joey kept an eye on the phone as the clock kept ticking. “So that’s it? You wanted revenge. That’s enough to make you attempt to kill a kid?”

Jackson groaned as he stared at them. “I wanted to shoot Mitchell, not the kid. But this guy paid me to go after the kid instead.”

The timer reached the thirty-second mark. Joey and Chris glanced at each other before looking at Jackson again. “Who paid you?”

“A guy named Yergin.” Jackson fought the spell as the timer neared zero, but Joey’s spell still had enough power. “I met him outside of a bar. Bloodborne.”

Brody’s eyes widened. “Bloodborne! Are you certain?”

Jackson nodded. “Yeah! I am.”

Chris turned to Brody while maintaining his hold. “Bloodborne? You know what that place is.”

“Yes. It’s a warlock bar.”

“Fuck,” said Chris as the timer reached zero. The spell released Jackson, and his memory started to fade. As a precaution, Chris swung his arm to slam Jackson against the wall and knocked him out. Brody muttered that wasn’t Whitelighter behavior, but Chris didn’t care. “Warlocks wouldn’t care about Uncle Henry. I bet they used Jackson to get to us.”

Joey nodded. “If we’re going to a warlock bar, then we’ll need help. We need the Power of Three.”

Chris agreed as he placed a hand on Joey’s shoulder. “Let’s get going.” He started to orb with Brody following him to the manor so they could regroup.

*~*

Chris and Joey orbed into a dark alleyway at Hunter’s Point with Wyatt joining them too. Wyatt bounced back from the blood donation easily enough, evident from a few cookie crumbs on his shirt. He also made sure to bring Excalibur with them for the added firepower that they might need since they didn’t know how many warlocks waited for them at Bloodborne.

Wyatt squeezed onto the leather-bound hilt. “Thanks for inviting me to the party. Let’s show these evil bastards what happens when they fuck with our family.”

“Hell yeah,” said Chris. 

Joey fiddled with the vanquishing potions in his pocket. Since he lacked an active power useful for combat, he needed to rely on potions for their firepower. “What’s the plan? We demand Yergin’s head and vanquish any warlock that gets in our way?”

“I like that plan,” said Wyatt. 

“As long as I get to smash more doors,” said Chris, “then I’m happy.

They walked around the corner to find a red metal door in a very secluded spot. They recalled Brody’s directions and knew that they couldn’t turn back now. Oddly enough, the door was unguarded. And they couldn’t sense any magic. They figured that the warlocks relied on the ominous setting to keep mortals away. Chris stepped in front of the door. He swung his arm to blast the metal door from the hinges to send it crashing across the bar. 

The bar looked enough like P3 that they didn’t blink twice about it. They instead focused on the dozen warlocks inside who all looked pissed and left their drinks forgotten on the table.

Wyatt raised Excalibur so that the warlocks didn’t act hastily. “I know you idiots can tell who we are, so let’s skip the banter,” he shouted. “Where’s Yergin? He put a hit out on our cousin, so we’re going to vanquish him. Hand him over, or we go after the rest of you!”

The warlocks flicked their wrists. Energy balls materialized with the electrifying currents charged high enough to kill most witches. Wyatt extended Excalibur forward while Chris prepared to attack, and Joey grabbed his potions.

A fight could break out at any moment when a familiar, bronze-skinned warlock appeared from around the corner.

“Now. Now. There’s no need for us to fight.” Aster held his hands up. Well, a hand. The other hand held onto his old-fashioned. His dark eyes brimmed with mischief as all parties knew not to trust him. “Charmed Ones. It’s so nice to see you again.”

Chris squinted his eyes. “Wish we could say the same. You’re not Yergin, are you?”

Aster smiled. “The name’s Aster. High Priest of Cult of Asmodeus. I’m sure you remember me.”

Joey nodded. “Yeah, we destroyed your magic wand.”

Aster resisted the urge to fire an energy ball at Joey. He needed to remind himself that he had something tastier in store for that one. “Yes,” said Aster. “So, you’re looking for Yergin. He is here if that helps.” Aster snapped his fingers to summon an older warlock with a buzz-cut and missing his left eye. Yergin dropped to his knees as he had his wrists bound and a gag around his mouth. “I actually had some business with Yergin too.”

They glanced at each other, while the warlocks dismissed their energy balls. No one knew what to make of Aster.

Aster grabbed onto Yergin’s shoulder. “You see. Yergin and I were trading powers, and he didn’t exactly uphold his end of the bargain.” Aster flicked his wrist to create an energy ball of his own. “Let’s make a trade. You leave here, and everyone keeps their head, and I vanquish Yergin for you. Fewer dead warlocks, and you satisfy your thirst for revenge.”

Aster proved his point as he tossed the energy ball at Yergin. The fire consumed Yergin’s body with the fabric of the mouth gag burning first before he was entirely destroyed. “Fuck you, Aster!” Yergin shouted as his body crumbled to ash.

The hot ash covered the ground with Aster taking a bow. 

“We good?” said Aster.

Wyatt glanced at Chris and Joey. They nodded as the goal was to vanquish Yergin. Even if Aster vanquished Yergin, the warlock that attacked Hank was still dead. 

Wyatt lowered Excalibur. “We’re good. Let’s go.” He took Joey’s hand, and they orbed out of Bloodborne before the warlocks made their attack.

A female warlock punched Aster. “How dare you kill one of our own! And you let the Charmed Ones escape!”

Aster laughed. “Don’t be mad, Halfric. This is worth it.” Aster took a sip from his old-fashioned. “My plan worked. I got to the Charmed Ones’ family, proving their vulnerability. Now, it’ll be even easier to get closer and put an end to the Halliwells.” Aster raised his glass. “The next round is on me, boys and gals! We celebrate the impending deaths of the Charmed Ones!”

The warlocks cheered from the promise of free liquor even if they doubted Aster’s potential success and certainly didn’t trust him.

*~*

Hank needed to wear an arm sling since his shoulder strength was gone for thanks to the bullet wound. He sank into his bed, trying to make himself comfortable now that the hospital released him. He smirked when he saw Tamora come in with more blankets since he felt weirdly cold after the operation.

“Thanks, sis.”

Tamora laid the blanket over Hank. “No problem. Do you need anything else?”

Hank shook his head. “I’m good for now.” He turned over to his desk, where Chris sat. “What about you? Do you need my nurse to bring you anything?”

Chris laughed. Chris came to the Mitchell house to check on Hank and to give an update on last night’s encounter with Yergin. “I’m cool.” 

“And with little mess.” Henry walked inside with Paige joining him too. Henry patted Chris on the shoulder. “Jackson has no memory of you and Joey. You’re in the clear.”

Paige crossed her arms. “But it was a big risk. Especially going to the warlock bar. You made a serious enemy out of this Aster.”

Chris shrugged. “We were bound to make an enemy out of someone. We’re working with a pretty notorious family reputation.” Chris smiled at Paige. “Hopefully, this reputation won’t keep me too busy with Berkeley.”

“Go Berkeley.” Hank tried to lift his arm but found himself in too much pain. He begged Tamora for his medication. “Sorry for ruining your moment, Chris.”

“You ruined nothin,” said Chris. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Henry nodded. “We all are.” He turned to Hank. “And if Berkeley doesn’t work out, you can join Hank at SF State.”

Chris smiled. “You got into State?”

“Damn right, I did!” said Hank. “And, I even figured out my major. I’m going into law.”

“Law?” asked Paige. “So, you want to be a cop?”

“A lawyer,” said Hank. “I know our family hasn’t had the best of experiences with lawyers, but I figure I could still do some good. Plus, it’ll allow me to take care of you and dad since Tamora’s going to be too busy being a weird, smelly artist in Paris.”

Tamora prepared to smack Hank but held her arm back. She started to smile instead. “At least I’ll make it to Paris.”

Everyone started to laugh as they found some humor despite the sadness they felt over Hank’s situation.


	7. Frozen Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop! Another chapter complete. This one is a bit more intense.
> 
> TW: Attempted sexual assault.

At their cottage-style home in the suburbs of San Francisco, Paige scooped the skillet of eggs and diced hot dogs into a plate. The cozy house gave the family all the space they needed as they didn’t need too much. 

Paige turned the burner off then walked across the kitchen to the breakfast nook to place the plate on the table. Tamora picked at her food while continuing to work on a sketch of Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo. The only reason Paige even knew who those characters were from binging the current season with Tamora last weekend. While Paige only had a faint grasping of anime, she wanted to prove herself supportive of her children’s interests. 

Paige poked Tamora’s shoulder. “Call your brother for breakfast.” She went across the room to pour herself a cup of coffee.

“Hank! Breakfast!” shouted Tamora.

“I could’ve done that.”

Tamora shrugged and went back to her drawing.

Footsteps came from down the hall with Hank zipping up his sweater. After a month of wearing a sling, Hank had free mobility again and felt almost normal. The scar from the bullet served as a painful reminder. That and the sudden chill he felt for about a week now.

Hank slid into the nook and started to eat. “Thanks, mom.” He started to inhale his food when he noticed Paige fixing her coffee. “Oh! Can you pour me a cup too?”

“Sure.” Paige poured a mug and handed it over to Hank since he liked his coffee black. 

Hank took a sip. He flinched before getting up to put it in the microwave. “It’s a little cold.”

Paige squinted her eyes. “Cold? I finished brewing it only five minutes ago.”

“It tastes cold to me.”

Tamora looked away from her sketch. She felt a chill nearby and turned to Hank’s seat. She noticed a bit of frost on his fork and seat. “Um...what?” She glanced over to Hank when she saw frost forming beneath his feet. “Hank! Mom!”

“What?” They followed Tamora’s gaze, then yelped. 

Hank jumped when he saw the frost beneath him. The mug slipped from his hand too, but before it could crash to the ground, he extended his hand out. A wave of frost escaped from his hand that froze the mug with a pillar of ice connecting it to the ground.

Paige covered her mouth. “Holy…”

Hank bumped into the stove with the frost he generated melting against the still-hot stove. “What is happening to me?”

*~*

In the basement, Chris carried a box of old clothes over to the donation pile.

Chris stared at the ever-growing pile and wondered how they ended up accumulating so much junk. He felt like they recently cleaned out everything from the basement. And here they were, back cleaning up the mess. 

“Are we done here, mom?” asked Chris.

Piper sat on the hard ground. She had a purple container opened next to her while she almost cradled a blue sweater. She choked on tears when she heard Chris call her again. “What was that, sweetie?” Piper gently placed the sweater into the box again.

Chris glanced to spot a name written across the box with a black marker. He smiled as he folded his hands behind his back. “I asked if there was anything else you wanted us to get rid of,” he said softly. “But I see you’re having a moment. Should we move that box to the attic or anywhere else, so it doesn’t get caught up with the trash?”

Piper sighed. They moved the box into the basement since they destroyed the Nexus years ago. And moving the box to the basement was hard enough, but she didn’t know how she could process having it anywhere else in the house without the constant reminders of who she lost. “No. Prue’s stuff can stay here.” Piper sighed again. This one box contained what little remained of Prue’s belongings. They did have a lot more, but she gave some away to Phoebe and even Paige when they moved out of the house, while everything else got donated or tossed. 

In this box, Piper kept a few of Prue’s favorite clothes, some jewelry, and even some of her photography equipment.

Chris sat on the floor with Piper. He stared at the box for a moment before grabbing the old Nikon camera.

Piper shook her head as she watched how carefully Chris held the camera. She could feel so many memories boiling to the surface whenever Chris did something. “You remind me so much of her.”

Chris smiled. “Really?”

Piper nodded. “You look like Prue and act like her.” She chuckled. “She’d adore you. Granted, she’d love all of you, but she would claim you as her favorite.”

Chris chuckled. He started to place the camera back into the box when Piper stopped him.

“Keep it,” said Piper. “Actually.” She went into the box to grab the rest of the equipment then handed it over to him. “Take it all. I’m sure she would want you to have it.”

Chris carefully held onto the camera and stared at the equipment. “You know, I actually wanted to get into photography. That was the only reason I signed up for the yearbook club, so I’d have an excuse to take pictures.” 

Piper laughed as she closed the box. “You are the shy, boy version of Prue. How are you so much like her without ever meeting?” She carried the box to leave it with the others on the shelf. “I think we’re done here. I’ll have your dad load everything into the car. Thank you for the help, Chris.”

“No problem, mom.” Chris grabbed the equipment and started to make his way upstairs. Chris made his way to his room when he spotted Wyatt walking into the house. He stopped for a moment as Wyatt asked for help as he pointed to a folder that he carried with him.

*~*

Chris left the photography equipment in his room before coming back downstairs to talk with Wyatt. Across the sunroom, Wyatt scattered several sheets of paper. Chris felt clueless as to what he walked into as he carefully stepped around the papers.

Chris finally made it to the couch to have a better overview of everything. The key thing he noticed from skimming the papers was that they referenced Asmodeus. “Someone’s been studying,” said Chris.

Wyatt yawned. The bags under his eyes looked far larger than usual. “For many hours at Magic School.” Wyatt plucked one of the pages then handed it to Chris so he could read. “I can’t tell you how thin I’ve stretched myself this past month. I’ve barely slept.”

“Fuck. I wished you said something sooner,” said Chris as he skimmed the paper. “I would’ve helped you with the research.” 

Wyatt waved his hand. “It’s fine. You and Joey are too busy with school.” He shook his head to make himself up a little more. “Okay! So this is everything that I could find on Asmodeus. I narrowed down what Miss Donovan and Paulina found to give us a clearer reference point. Based on everything, I think I have an idea of Asmodeus’s powers and origins.”

“Impressive.”

“Thank you.” Wyatt grabbed another paper with some of his notes. “I found references to entities called the Old Ones in this ancient text of demons that an Elder wrote during the days of Rome. It took a while to translate the text from Latin properly, but Brody eventually came through with a translation spell. The text stated that the Old Ones acted as the progenitors of demons, predating humanity by eons.”

Chris shuddered. “That sounds terrifying. And you’re certain that Asmodeus is one of these primordial demons?”

“Not absolutely but pretty close. But the text also stated that most of the Old Ones died after a great war with the Gods.”

“Which gods?”

“It doesn’t specify which ones, but this war occurred during the early days of the world, so pick a group of ancient gods. Either way, the war resulted in the deaths of many Old Ones and Gods. In the case of Asmodeus, it appears that he wasn’t killed but instead was banished from this reality.”

Chris nodded. “Which means we have to assume Aster and the cult are looking to bring Asmodeus back into our reality.”

“Most likely.”

Chris thought of their family’s previous experiences with the Gods. “If the Old Ones are equal to Gods in power, then we’re talking about the Titans’ power level. The Power of Three wasn’t enough to defeat Cronus and Demetrius. They could only be vanquished after dad gave mom, Phoebe, and Paige the powers of the Olympian gods. Which I doubt the Elders would allow to happen again.”

Wyatt agreed. “Which means we need to figure out another way to fight Asmodeus.”

Before they could attempt to strategize, bright-blue orbs gathered in the sunroom. Paige and Hank materialized.

“Hey, Aunt Paige,” said Chris. “Were your ears burning because we were talking about you.”

Paige smirked. “No. But we do have a problem. Because of you, Wyatt.”

Wyatt squinted his eyes. “What you talking about, Auntie?”

Paige gestured to Hank. 

Hank blew a cold mist from his hand that left frost over a window. Wyatt and Chris stared with eyes wide open as that wasn’t something they expected to see.

*~*

Joey stared at his phone while sitting at the mall’s food court. He ignored his plate of fries to focus on the four unread texts he sent in the last hour. It frustrated the hell out of him that Mark hadn’t responded yet. This problem’s only gotten worse. For weeks now, Mark avoided Joey’s text and calls and any attempt to speak to him in the halls. 

Joey wanted to break his phone but knew he’d get into trouble for that. Instead, he swallowed his anger and grabbed a fry. 

Sasha and Ari walked over to the table with their pizzas. They sat across from them while they continued to chat about the movie they would see in an hour.

“It looks so cute! I’m ready to cry,” said Sasha.

“I’m ready to thirst over Liam Hemsworth.” Ari looked over to Joey. “What about you, Joe? What are you looking forward to?”

Joey kept staring at his phone until they said his name a little louder. He finally looked at them. “Sorry. What was that?”

Sasha rolled her eyes. “Trouble with the secret boyfriend?” She ripped the crust from her pizza to dip it in ranch dressing. “Is he not returning your texts?”

“And calls,” Joey growled.

Ari leaned across the table. “What a dick. Why haven’t you kicked his ass.”

Sasha shook her head. “What Ari means is, why haven’t you taken a more direct approach with Mark?”

Joey gasped. He thought they did a better job of keeping their relationship hidden. “You know Mark and I are dating?”

“Duh,” said Ari. “It’s not like you’re good at keeping a secret. Plus, Hunter caught you kissing.” She took a bite from her pizza. “So...he’s ignoring your texts and calls, that means you need to go to his house and kick his ass.”

“Talk,” corrected Sasha. “You go to his house and TALK.”

Joey looked at his phone. He still found no response from Mark and realized that he needed to take a direct approach. “That’s what I’ll do.” He pushed his fries over to them. “Are you okay if I skip out on the movie? Mark and I need to talk.”

Sasha nodded. “Go get him, tiger.”

“And kick his ass if he doesn’t change his ways,” said Ari.

Joey laughed as he got out of his chair. He didn’t intend on beating up Mark, but he knew there’d be a lot of yelling.

*~*

At the manor, Wyatt and Chris sat outside with Hank. The sunlight provided Hank with some worth as his body gradually adjusted to the cold. Even with the February chill, it was warm enough outside to keep Hank from shivering.

Paige paced around the garden while Piper and Leo muttered that things would work out. However, Paige couldn’t listen to their words as she thought of Hank’s safety. She only knew fear for the child that she raised since he was two. The sickly toddler lost his mother and that his father practically left abandoned. The fact that Hank survived long enough for Henry and Paige to find him was a miracle. She didn’t want to lose him to magic now.

Orbs descended from the sky as Brody materialized. He grinned as he went over to Paige first. “Good news, Hank will be okay.” 

“He will?” said Paige.

Brody nodded. He went to Hank to hand him a gold, nautical bracelet. “This will help suppress the chill till you properly master these powers.”

Hank gratefully took the bracelet and buckled it to his wrist. He quickly felt warmer than before, not quite normal but close enough. “Thanks, Brody. Did the Elders have an explanation for what’s happening to me?”

“It’s the blood transfusion.” Piper glared at Wyatt. “We warned you.”

Wyatt sank into his chair.

Brody tried to lighten the mood as he focused on Hank. “Yes. It is the blood transfusion that caused this change.” He looked to Piper. “However, this situation is different than what happened with Dr. Williamson. Wyatt’s magic is so powerful that it allowed Hank to develop magic and even turned him into a witch.”

“What?” said everyone.

Hank nervously laughed. “I’m a witch now?”

“Yes! A Halliwell witch.” Brody pointed at Wyatt. “Only a witch. You didn’t inherit Whitelighter powers. Now, Wyatt’s blood connected you to the family magic. But instead of developing one of Melinda Warren’s active powers, you instead attained a mix of her telekinesis and molecular immobilization. In this case, you developed cryokinesis. The power to manipulate cold and ice.”

“Cool!” said Hank.

“Not cool.” Paige crossed her arms. She took a deep breath. “Brody, these powers, is it safe for Hank to keep them?”

Brody nodded. “Yes! It seems, oddly enough, this was meant to happen. And, if he decides to, he can keep these powers.”

Hank smiled as he stared at his hand. A cold mist arose with his eyes flashing blue for a second as he felt the chill of his magic. “I’m keeping them.” He turned to Paige. “I hated growing up in a family of witches without any magic of my own. This is a dream come true.”

“You’re welcome!” Wyatt patted Hank.

Paige rolled her eyes before kneeling over to face Hank. “Magic has a price, sweetie. If you keep these powers, then you’re exposed. You get all the problems that come with magic.”

Hank nodded. “I know. I’ll deal with it.” He took Paige’s hand. She shuddered from the chill, but it gradually faded. “But I’ll need some help. Care to teach me how to be a witch?”

Softening her expression, Paige smiled as she leaned to hug him. “Of course.”

Wyatt cheered. “All’s well that ends well!”

Piper and Leo rolled their eyes as they warned Wyatt never to do this again. 

*~*

Meanwhile, Mark blinked into an abandoned chapel in the Mission District. Mark’s eyes darkened as the curse further blinded him of his humanity. He wandered into the dusty chapel and passed the broken pews. He saw Aster standing with a group of warlocks.

Aster held his arms open while asking Mark to come closer.

Mark blindly followed Aster’s request. Aster wrapped his arm over Mark’s shoulder to lead him towards the altar.

There, they placed an oval mirror with a golden and black ribbon. The curves of the oval bore claw-like accents. And a goat-like creature was carved over the ribbon, which seemed to look down to the cracked glass. 

Aster brought Mark closer. “And there it is. After centuries of work, the mirror is complete.”

“Mirror?” asked Mark.

“Yes. Long ago, the Gods banished our master to another dimension through this mirror. They shattered the mirror and scattered its remains across the world. Lord Asmodeus’s been trapped ever since, but we’ve done the work of completing it to build a path for him to return.”

Mark nodded. “Is that why you need me? You need my magic to help release Lord Asmodeus?”

“That’s partly it.” Aster touched the pentagram necklace that dangled from Mark’s neck, avoiding contact with the Green Lantern necklace. “You were born when the world’s alignment changed because of Avatars’ efforts to create their utopia. It made you a special warlock because you escaped their power. Now, that makes you the perfect key to breaking Lord Asmodeus’s prison; however, it is not enough.”

Aster smiled. “We must sacrifice an innocent on the altar. An innocent of great power. And I can’t think of anyone stronger than a Charmed One.”

Mark grinned too. “Good. When must we make this sacrifice? Now?”

Aster chuckled. “So eager, Markus.” Aster knew the curse finally snuffed the last of Mark’s humanity. It meant that it was almost time. “Not yet. We can’t make our move until the last day of Vestalia. Then, we’ll sacrifice a Charmed One, perverting the sacred holiday of the goddess, Vesta, with the death of a virgin male witch.”

“Which of the Charmed Ones are we targeting?”

“Wyatt is far too powerful for us to take the risk in attacking him directly. No, we need Lord Asmodeus to fight Wyatt, but must make certain to destroy the Power of Three first,” said Aster. “We’ll focus our efforts on Christopher or Joseph.” Aster smiled as he turned to Mark; he saw that Mark didn’t even flinch at the mention of Joey’s name. “However, I think Joseph will make the perfect sacrifice. He’s the purest and weakest of the three. Lord Asmodeus is fond of destroying that which is pure.”

Mark nodded. “If that is what you believe is best, then so shall it be.” 

Aster laughed. The spell worked far too perfectly. He could see that Mark would blindly follow his commands now. “Then, that is all.” Aster turned to the other warlocks. “We are done here. Make your preparations for we are only a few months away now before our master’s glorious return.”

“Praise be to Lord Asmodeus!” The warlocks shouted before blinking out of the chapel.

Mark followed in the cheer before he too blinked out of the chapel.

Aster turned to the mirror. He saw a faint glow and sensed the dark power on the other side of the glass. “It will be done, my master,” whispered Aster as he felt Asmodeus scratching at the barriers between their realities.

*~*

After the Uber dropped him off, Joey walked up the front steps to Mark’s house. He took his hands out of his pockets and gave a gentle knock on the blue door when it opened on its own. He carefully stepped inside and called Mark’s name. He didn’t spot Mark’s parents anywhere, so he climbed upstairs to Mark’s bedroom.

Joey knocked on the door only for it to creak open. “Mark?”

“What?” Mark’s voice boomed. He leaned against the back wall and took his eyes away from his phone to glare at Joey. “How did you get inside?”

Joey gulped. He felt terrible vibes in the room as he took a step inside, especially when he noticed the dark circles around Mark’s eyes. “The door was open.”

Mark tossed his phone to his desk. “My mistake.” He walked closer to Joey, stretching his fingers. Before Joey could blink, Mark went from across the room to nearly pinning him against the wall. “You shouldn’t be here. And you should’ve taken the hint.”

Joey tried to slip away, but Mark pressed a hand on Joey’s chest. Joey smacked Mark’s chest, only to feel a sharp chill. His eyes glanced at the pentagram necklace where he felt something wicked emanating from it. “What are you talking about?” He attempted to touch the necklace only for it to shock him when he got too close.

“That it’s over.” Mark grabbed onto Joey’s wrists then shoved him towards the bed. Joey moved to get off only for Mark to pin him down. “There’s no reason for me to keep playing with a kid like you. You’re a waste of my time.” Mark sneered as he decided to tug on Joey’s shirt, threatening to rip it off him. “Maybe I can still get something out of this.”

Staring into those malicious eyes, Joey went into full panic mode. Joey thrashed against Mark’s grip, doing all that he could to keep Mark from taking off his clothes. Mark’s hand pulled at Joey’s shirt, causing part of it to rip while continuing to hold him down. Joey screamed then took his chance to break free.

Joey headbutted Mark’s chest. A sharp chill attacked his spine when he touched the necklace again. However, he had no premonition even as he felt one scratching the surface.

Instead of wasting time, Joey jumped from the bed now that Mark released him.

Mark snarled before flicking his wrist. Electricity crackled over his hand before an energy ball fully materialized over his head. Joey gasped when he saw the energy ball. Joey processed the scene quickly, realizing that the dark power he sensed was a warlock’s energy. And given that more warlocks could use energy balls, Joey was left to assume that Mark either killed a demon or had another warlock share the power with him.

Before Mark could fling the energy ball, Joey extended his hand as he spoke a spell in Latin. “ _Coligo eum nunc_!” In a second, the floorboards exploded and became more flexible as they bound Mark in place.

“Fucking witch!” shouted Mark.

Joey had tears running down his face as he stared at Mark. “Fucking warlock.”

Mark fought against the binding spell, but it would do no good. The trap gave Joey all the time that he needed to run. 

Joey was halfway down the hallway when he screamed. “Brody! Brody!”

Bright blue orbs appeared in front of Joey. Brody grabbed onto Joey when he noticed the tears running down his face and his torn shirt. “What happened?” asked Brody.

“Later. We have to leave now!”

Brody nodded and orbed Joey to the manor.

*~*

Orbs gathered in Joey’s bedroom as Brody and Joey returned to the manor. Joey slipped away from Brody’s grip. Joey tossed his torn shirt to the laundry basket before falling to the floor. Brody knelt down and carefully placed a hand on Joey’s shoulder. 

Joey stared at the floor, unwilling and unable to utter a single word.

Brody bit his lip for a moment before finding the courage to speak. “That was Mark’s house, right? Did he force himself on you?”

Joey looked away from the floor to meet Brody’s gaze. “How did you know about Mark?”

“You’re my charge,” Brody said softly. “I have to watch over you, so I know enough about your relationship with Mark.”

“Past relationship.” Joey took a deep breath. “Mark attacked me. He pinned me on his bed.” Brody muttered a curse as Joey continued. “I fought him, but he summoned an energy ball.”

Brody’s eyes widened. “An energy ball!”

Joey nodded. “Mark’s a warlock. All this time, and I didn’t know.”

“Neither did I.” Brody took a seat beside Joey, leaning against the bed. “We should tell your parents and brothers what happened.”

“No!” Joey blurted a little too loudly. Joey grabbed onto Brody’s hand while more tears poured, and his face turned red. “You’re my Whitelighter. That means anything I tell you is confidential.”

“Joey.”

“Don’t tell them anything,” Joey repeated. 

Brody closed his mouth.

The bedroom door swung open with Piper and Leo stepping inside. They were shocked to see each other as Piper and Leo didn’t realize Joey was home until they saw Brody. Then, they noticed the tears staining Joey’s face and could automatically tell that something happened.

Brody patted Joey’s shoulder. “Talk to them,” he whispered, while still preserving Joey’s secret. Orbs gathered as Brody orbed out of the bedroom.

Piper sighed. She didn’t know what to expect as she walked over to Joey, and instead decided to focus on today’s events. “So Hank’s a witch now.”

Joey squinted his eyes. “What? How?”

“The blood transfusion,” said Piper. 

Leo knelt over to face Joey. His old Whitelighter instincts kicked in as he could easily tell that something traumatizing happened. He brushed some tears from Joey’s face. “What happened?”

Joey knew he couldn’t get away with saying nothing. His parents were too perceptive to let him get away with everything. But he didn’t want to speak too much on Mark. Joey didn’t want to tell them that Mark is a warlock and that he tried...Joey didn’t even know what to call what Mark attempted. Joey couldn’t tell if the attack was Mark’s way of trying to kill him and claim his powers or if it was an attempted sexual assault.

Joey shuddered. 

“Honey.” Piper grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around Joey. “It's okay. You can tell us anything.”

Joey took a deep breath. He could modify the truth enough, but it still meant sharing more than he wanted. “I...my boyfriend broke up with me.”

Piper and Leo paused for a moment. Their eyes briefly glanced at each other as they expected Joey to come out for a while now, but they wanted him to do so on his terms. However, they didn’t expect to hear that he also had a boyfriend too. 

Leo scooted himself over to sit next to Joey. He wrapped his arm over Joey’s shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that happened. Is that why you’re so upset?”

Joey nodded. It wasn’t the truth, but he could play it off for them. “You’re not upset about me being gay?”

Leo shook his head. “Why would I be upset by that?”

“Because you were born and raised in an era that lynched gay people and every non-White person for entertainment.”

Piper curled her lips. 

Leo frowned. He could see why that would make Joey terrified of speaking up sooner. “Fair enough. But it doesn’t bother me. It didn’t bother me when Wyatt came out either.”

“That’s right.” Piper kissed Joey’s forehead. “Our problems with Wyatt have nothing to do with him being bisexual. He’s just a pain in the ass, but we still love him. And we love you too.”

Joey tried to smile, but the pain of learning the truth about Mark scarred him too deeply. The only comfort he could have now was that at least his parents still accepted him. “Thanks.” Joey brushed aside a tear. “So...Hank’s a witch now?”

Piper and Leo groaned as they filled him in on everything that happened while he was gone.

*~*

Blinking into Mark’s bedroom, Aster huffed when he saw Mark still suffering from Joey’s binding spell. Aster extended his hand. “ _Eximo_.” 

The binding shattered with the floorboards returning to their natural forms. Mark growled as he held onto his injured arms. “That bitch.” 

Aster squinted his eyes. “I take it something happened. Let me guess.” Aster flicked his fingers to toss Mark onto the bed telekinetically. “Your little Charmed One came over to talk. And you gave fully into your inner warlock. Am I close?”

“You want him dead.” Mark huffed while pushing himself to his feet. “What differences does it make? We could’ve held him prisoner until June.”

Aster punched Mark across the face. “Stupid boy!” Aster snapped his fingers. A green-haired warlock blinked into the bedroom. “Korren. Strike the Charmed Ones for Lord Asmodeus.” Aster took a pendant with a goat’s face out from his pocket and slipped it into the pocket of Korren’s coat. “They mustn't know of Markus’s involvement yet.”

Korren nodded then blinked out of the bedroom.

Mark brushed the blood from his lips. “Joey won’t tell a soul. He’s too afraid to speak up for himself. Besides, he knows nothing of my service to Lord Asmodeus.”

“You better hope so!” Aster walked away from Mark. “The Charmed Ones are already connecting the dots. We cannot afford for them to realize how we intend to bring Lord Asmodeus back to this world. This is our only chance.” Aster cracked his knuckles while keeping his back to mark. “Don’t think I won’t vanquish you if your actions derail our plans, Markus!”

Aster blinked, retreating to the abandoned chapel. 

Mark could feel the guilt stirring in his head. Not for failing his father as Mark thought of Joey’s tortured face. Part of Mark wanted to make things right, but he couldn’t do a thing. Instead, Mark traced his fingers against the pentagram necklace. Darkness surged into Mark’s heart as the curse reinforced himself before too much of his humanity broke him free.

*~*

Joey took a while to clean himself up after suffering from a whirlwind of experiences within only twenty minutes. He cleaned his face, trying to erase the painful parts of today’s memories. He knew it wouldn’t go away, and he would need to confront Mark again, eventually, but it wasn’t a concern for now.

Joey made his way downstairs only to cross paths with Hank.

Hank smiled. Then he pointed towards the kitchen. “Your mom called. Dinner’s almost ready.”

“Cool.” Joey rolled his eyes. “Cool like your powers. How is that you end up with a sweet, active power, and I’m stuck with headaches.”

“Sorry.” Hank scratched his head as he started to walk downstairs again. “I’m sure you’ll develop a cool power soon. Look at Aunt Phoebe. She’s an empath, and she can levitate! That’s something you can probably look forward to.”

Joey bit his lips. He often pictured himself developing Phoebe’s powers since they were so alike too. And it was hardly anything he would want to put himself through. “Great. More headaches from dealing with everyone’s emotional whiplash. Haven’t I suffered enough?”

Hank patted Joey’s shoulder. “It’ll turn out okay. Give it a little time.”

Joey leaned against the wall while staring at Hank. He found the situation odd. “Why are you so nice to me? I thought you didn’t like me.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not like we’re close. I’m close to the girls. Wyatt and Chris are my brothers, so we’re as close as most brothers. But you and I, we don’t exactly mesh.” Joey crossed his arms. “While you’re tight with the girls and my brothers. Did becoming a witch pull that stick from your ass? Or is this your weird way of forming an alliance with the only other full witch in the family?”

Hank sighed. He thought of all his past experiences with Joey and could see why Joey felt so suspicious. “I haven’t been that good of a cousin to you. I don’t really have an explanation for my behavior,” he said softly. “Maybe it was because you and PJ were born around the same time I was adopted, and since you’re a boy too, it was my weird way of marking my territory. Or maybe I fucked up in not taking the time to actually get to know you. Either way, I’m sorry.”

Joey shrugged as he had enough emotional baggage to deal with that he didn’t want to tolerate the tensions he had with Hank too. “We’re cool. At least you’re aware of your shitty attitude.” Joey started to walk downstairs with Hank following after him.

They made it to the foyer when Korren blinked into the house. 

“Holy shit!” shouted Hank.

Joey backed away. “Warlock!”

Korren waved his hand. A telekinetic blast struck them and slammed them against the wall with the sound of the impact alerting everyone in the house. Hank had an easier time getting back on his feet while Joey stumbled.

Korren attempted to swing his hand again to strike Hank again. However, Hank acted quickly. Hank held his hand out and triggered a freezing mist to emerge. The mist blew against Korren, while it didn’t freeze him, it left him shivering. 

Footsteps echoed as Wyatt and Chris came from the sunroom, while Paige joined Piper and Leo from the kitchen. Korren found himself too busy shivering to attempt another attack.

Piper looked across the foyer to see Joey slowly getting back on his feet. She glared at Korren as she flicked her hands.

Korren screamed as his molecules accelerated to an unstable point. The blast triggered an explosion that left nothing but his ashy remains. 

Wyatt rushed over to Joey and Hank to heal them. 

“Are you okay?” Paige asked as she hugged Hank.

“Fine, mom.” Hank groaned. 

Joey nodded as he rubbed his sore forehead. “What the hell was that warlock thinking? Did he not know who’s house he barged into?”

Wyatt shrugged while pulling his hands away now that he finished healing them. “Maybe he was looking for suicide by witch.”

“Or not.” Chris brushed aside the ash to find a pendant with a goat’s face. He showed it to everyone. “Goats have a Satanic symbolism. They’re often associated with the Deadly Sin of Lust, and Asmodeus is known as the Prince of Lust.”

Leo nodded. “That means the cult was likely behind this attack.”

“Which means we need to be more careful,” said Piper. “Until we vanquish this cult, we need to assume that they’ll keep coming after us.”

Wyatt smirked as he looked over to Chris. “Good thing I’ve been doing my homework on Asmodeus. All we need to do is figure out how to vanquish a godlike entity.” However, that was a problem for another day. Wyatt held onto Joey’s arm as he led them into the dining room so that they could finally eat.

*~*

Monday morning, Joey walked into the halls of the school. He came prepared for the worst as he brewed his mom’s Blinding Potion to keep Mark from blinking if he attacked again. And that wasn’t all that he had with him. He wrote and memorized a vanquishing spell that he was surely strong enough to use alone.

Joey clung onto the strap of his backpack. He wasn’t sure if he would have the courage to use them if it came down to it.

As he glanced at every person that he crossed in the hallways, he didn’t know any peace until he saw PJ running towards him while still in her training uniform. At first, he thought she looked scared because Mark tried to attack her. But as she got closer, he realized she looked concerned.

PJ frowned. “I just heard from the seniors on the team. I’m so sorry.”

Joey squinted his eyes. “About what?”

“Mark.” PJ gasped as it dawned on him that he didn’t know. “Oh! Damn. Um...Mark is transferring schools.”

Joey backed away as that wasn’t something he expected to hear. “He’s what?”

*~*

At the chapel, Mark stared at the mirror. He could feel the dark call of Asmodeus from beyond this reality. The pentagram necklace surged with energy as his eyes darkened. 

Mark extended his hand to touch the glass. The mirror itself rippled, and Mark felt something scrape against the tips of his fingers. A smile crossed Mark’s face as he knew the touch of Asmodeus now. 

“I live to serve you, master,” whispered Mark.

Distorted laughter echoed across the chapel. The glass continued to ripple with a sinister shadow appearing from another reality that would watch Mark closely. 

Aster stepped into the chapel, where he found Mark connecting to the mirror. It brought such joy to see Mark follow the path of evil, but the surge of energy he felt told him something else entirely. “So will it be, my lord,” whispered Aster as tears swelled within his eyes. 

Asmodeus claimed Mark as his chosen. 

Although Aster spent centuries praying that Asmodeus would mark him as chosen, he could push aside his pride as his child would claim the mantle. And with it, they would finally have the power to rid themselves of good magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small teaser for the next chapter since you can consider it the season one finale. Aster and Mark succeed in bringing Asmodeus back, which leads to the ultimate test for Wyatt, Chris, and Joey as they have to prove if their Power of Three is strong enough to defeat an Old One. And what does fate have in store for Joey and Mark? If there is even a future for them. 
> 
> DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN!


	8. Darkest Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! I'm so excited about this chapter! It's probably the longest one yet, and will stay that way for a while. I'm super exhausted because of it. Kudos and comments are appreciated.
> 
> Also, if any of you are part of the protests going on across the U.S., stay safe out there. I'm following the news and Tweets as closely as I can. I plan to make a donation to the groups helping the protestors and victims after payday. And, if you're going to a protest, do everything you can to cover yourself both to minimize the risk of Covid's spread and to protect your identity. And, if you can, leave your phones at home or turn off location services and wipe the data already stored on your phone/the cloud. The police are known for using that data to find out who the protestors are so that they can retaliate against them since the Ferguson protests. Remember that your safety is the most important thing.

In the months that followed since becoming a witch, Hank had a surprisingly easy time adjusting. He wasn’t running around fighting demons or warlocks like the brothers, but he could competently use his powers like Tamora and their cousins. And now, they could prepare themselves for graduation.

Hundreds of families gathered at a stadium for the graduation of the senior class of 2020. Chris and Hank sat at the respective rows and wore the blue robes with their honors stoles, while their families took up a small section. And everyone made sure to dress their best for the occasion.

Tamora held up a cute banner she designed for Chris and Hank. Paige tied the balloons for Hank around her wrist while instructing Henry to handle the pictures. Henry muttered that he knew how to use a camera, but Paige rolled her eyes.

“Where are my Christmas pictures then?” asked Paige. Henry went silent as he took a couple of photos now.

Phoebe returned to her seat after getting off the phone with her producer about next week’s show. She sat next to Piper, holding onto her hand. “You only got one more kid left,” said Phoebe. “Are you feeling old yet?”

Piper pointed to the grey streak in her hair. “What do you think?” Piper chuckled as she leaned over to look past Leo to see Joey resting his head against Wyatt’s arm. “You know you can never leave me, right? I’m not losing my baby too.”

Joey smirked. “I don’t plan on going anywhere soon.” He tried to sit comfortably on the uncomfortable stadium seating, while also suppressing all his emotional trouble. He still hadn’t told anyone that Mark is a warlock or the truth about the attack.

“Yeah,” said Wyatt, “he can’t function without constant supervision.” He flinched when Joey pinched his arm. Leo told them to behave.

Coop laughed as he took his phone out to start recording. Meanwhile, PJ snatched Paulina’s book away since the ceremony began to start.

The ceremony followed the usual routine. The administration spoke, the valedictorian spoke, and their guest speaker from Google offered pretty speeches. A few groans came when the Google rep spoke since these families had plenty of issues with the things that Silicon Valley did that made life in the city more difficult.

Eventually, the graduates started to take to the stage for their diplomas.

“Christopher Perry Halliwell.” Chris smiled as he walked across the stage. He accepted his diploma and made his return to his seat as the next set of names got called. 

The ceremony progressed without much trouble. However, as the list of students neared the last names starting in M-, Joey started to notice something odd. Joey straightened himself up when he spotted a dark shadow appearing on the stage. He glanced at Wyatt and everyone else, but none of them noticed the shadow. 

At first, Joey thought himself going insane. However, the shadow remained, and when Joey blinked again, the shadow shifted. He saw the face of a pale-skinned man that would fade away, leaving the brief image of a skull before vanishing entirely.

Joey didn’t understand what to make of what he saw. Before he could think twice, he gasped as the vice-principal spoke the next name. “Mark Meade.” Joey trembled in his seat as tears swelled up, and he took several deep breaths.

Wyatt noticed first. He gently held onto Joey’s hand. “It’s okay,” Wyatt whispered, while everyone else started to notice.

“Right.” Joey’s breathing got worse as he tugged on his bowtie, while they heard the vice-principal apologize for listing Mark’s name since he no longer attended the school. The vice-principal moved onto the next student, but the damage was done. Joey hyperventilated as his bowtie felt even more restrictive as the memories of that day found their way to the surface.

Leo patted Joey on the shoulder. “It’s okay, buddy. You’ll be fine.”

Joey tried to nod but couldn’t find the strength to do much as he continued to panic. Wyatt stood and started to help Joey onto his feet. “I’ll take him home,” said Wyatt. “The rest of you can stay here. And let the guys know we’re sorry.”

“Okay,” said Piper as everyone kept watch.

Wyatt led Joey downstairs so that they could find somewhere private for them to orb. They managed to hear Hank’s name getting called before they would finally leave.

“Henry Mitchell, Jr.” Wyatt and Joey didn’t get to see Hank accept his diploma as they already found a secluded spot for them to orb.

The light-blue orbs gathered with Wyatt bringing them to Joey’s bedroom.

Joey ripped the bowtie off and fell to his bed. He continued to take heavy breaths while Wyatt knelt in front of him. Wyatt placed a hand over Joey’s chest, using his powers to heal, but it didn’t do much good to psychological trauma.

Wyatt frowned. “Talk to me, Joey. What’s happening to you? Hearing Mark’s name shouldn’t be that triggering.”

Joey shook his head. He got hold of his breathing only to start crying. The crying didn’t stop as it reached the point where Wyatt’s words did no good. Wyatt had no other choice but to leave Joey’s side until Joey either stopped crying or the rest of the family got there to help.

Ultimately, it would take a familial intervention.

*~*

An hour later, Wyatt and Joey would hear Piper’s voice. Luckily, they decided to orb or beam to the stadium so that they could avoid traffic. Piper and Leo rushed into Joey’s room to help, but they didn’t do much good either. Chris ditched his graduation robes and tried to speak to Joey, but it didn’t help either. No one could get through to him as he continued to fall to panic and painful memories.

Phoebe volunteered to help. Her heels clicked across the wooden floors while holding onto a cupcake that she took from the dozens that Piper baked for Chris and Hank’s graduation party. Her scarlet dress swayed as she sat next to the weeping Joey.

Phoebe passed the cupcake over to him. She placed a hand on his back, rubbing it gently. She avoided using her premonitions or empathic powers to pry as she instead worked on a more delicate approach. However, it didn’t take an empath to tell it involved Mark since she heard enough about the relationship from Piper. “Can you tell me why you’re crying, sweetie?” Phoebe spoke softly, “Are you that upset about Mark.”

Joey took a deep breath. His tears fell onto the cupcake’s frosting. He didn’t want to speak at all, but he couldn’t help but let the words out. Being in Phoebe’s presence made Joey feel like he could speak since they already had so many similarities, including a bad taste in men.

“It is because of Mark.” Joey kept sobbing between words. “Mark. He’s...he’s a warlock.”

Phoebe’s eyes widened. “What! Are you sure?”

Joey nodded. “He, uh, he attacked me.” He continued speaking, explaining everything that happened. Phoebe listened carefully and without any judgment as she held onto his hand. All she could think of when she heard him speak was her experiences with Cole. 

It pained Phoebe to know that her nephew would carry that same trauma, but it hurt more when she thought that he’d carry this baggage at such a young age.

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” said Phoebe, as she went to hug him. “After everything that I went through because of Cole, I know how much this hurts. And the trauma that will stay with you. But it will get better. In time.”

Phoebe continued to offer words, none of which genuinely made Joey feel better. The only comfort he felt came from sharing his story.

*~*

Outside Joey’s bedroom, Wyatt and Chris overheard everything. They heard the truth about Mark and his attempt at assaulting Joey. They left for the attic, locking the door behind them so no one else could interrupt.

Wyatt’s fists trembled as he took a deep breath before he did something awful. “That son of a bitch. Brody!”

Chris ignored Wyatt’s anger and instead went for the Book of Shadows. He orbed a pen and notepad to his hand as he started to scribble down a spell. 

Orbs gathered with Brody appearing before them. He could feel the anger in the room. “What did I miss?” He spun back to spot Chris at the book. “Oh. And happy graduation, Chris.”

“Thanks,” mumbled Chris.

“Yeah, thanks.” Wyatt went up to Brody’s face. “Why didn’t you tell us about what Mark did to Joey?”

Brody gulped. “He made me promise not to tell anyone. And I felt it only right to respect his wishes.”

Wyatt glared at Brody. “You still should’ve told us that he was at least a warlock. We’re his big brothers! We’re supposed to protect him. Damn it!” Wyatt stomped his foot. “I knew it was a big mistake for Joey to date someone that much older. That evil son of a bitch!”

“That evil son of a bitch is done.” Chris slammed the Book of Shadow closed. He went over to Wyatt and Brody as he held up the piece of paper. “We’re going to vanquish him.”

“Good!” said Wyatt.

Brody shook his head. “Guys, wait! I know what Mark did to Joey is horrible.” However, before Brody could utter another sentence, Wyatt flicked his hand. Brody became frozen in place and would stay that way long enough.

Wyatt crossed his arms. “You know where Mark lives, right?”

“Yup.” Chris grabbed Wyatt’s hand. “Let’s vanquish the bastard.”

Orbs surrounded them as Chris guided them to Mark’s house.

*~*

Across town, Mark stood in the middle of his living room with his face and clothes covered in blood. Mark stared at the ground where the bloody corpses of his mother and stepdad laid with a bloody athame next to them. To think only moments before, they were so full of life. Now, they were only the first sacrifice in freeing Mark of what persisted in his humanity.

“Splendid work.” Aster walked over and wiped his hands clean. “We can move onto the next phase of the plan. Tonight is the last night of Vestalia. We make the sacrifice now, or else we’ll never free Lord Asmodeus.”

“Right.” Mark’s voice rang hollow as he focused on his parents’ bodies.

Aster found himself too lost in the joy of his centuries of planning finally coming to fruition. He didn’t even notice the orbs gathering as Wyatt and Chris arrived.

Wyatt and Chris’s gaze found Mark, but before they attacked, that is when they noticed Aster and the corpses. 

Chris gasped. “Dear god. What did you do?”

Mark’s eyes widened as he noticed them. He didn’t say a word as Aster stepped forward. Aster cracked a wide smile. “Ah, the elder two,” said Aster. “Now, where is that precious little brother of yours?”

“Fuck off, Aster,” said Wyatt. “This is between Mark and us.”

Aster raised his eyebrows. “Oh. I see you learned of what my son did to your brother.” His smirk grew as he caught Wyatt and Chris by surprise with that declaration. “Yes. Markus is my son. Together, we shall bring Lord Asmodeus back to this reality and put an end to you, witches!”

The death threat hardly came as a surprise. However, the news of Asmodeus’s emanate return proved far more frightening. But Wyatt and Chris maintained their rage as they focused on their purpose from coming here, which became more crucial with Aster’s news.

Wyatt glared. His hands started to burn as he finally flicked his fingers. “Go to hell, Aster!” He attempted to freeze Aster and Mark so they could use the vanquishing spell. However, instead of freezing them, an explosion went off at the display cabinet behind them. 

Aster and Mark shrugged to protect themselves.

Chris stood jaw-dropped as he stared at Wyatt. “You got a power upgrade.”

“Too bad I can’t control it yet,” said Wyatt. 

Aster shrugged the attack. “But good for us.” Aster released a stream of fire from his hands that Chris telekinetically directed out the window. The glass shattered without causing a fire but showed that Wyatt and Chris couldn’t vanquish Aster and Mark with only the power of two. They needed Joey.

Chris grabbed onto Wyatt’s hand. “We need to retreat.” As much as Wyatt hated to admit it, they had no other choice. They would orb out of the house before Aster and Mark could strike.

Mark attempted to conjure an energy ball only for Aster to stop him. Aster smiled. “Forget those two,” said Aster. “We want the youngest Charmed One for Lord Asmodeus.”

*~*

Wyatt and Chris orbed to the sunroom of the manor to find everyone there, including Joey.

Piper got up from a chair with her arms crossed. She glared at them. “You froze your Whitelighter so you could vanquish your brother’s ex-boyfriend.”

They gulped. Wyatt raised his hand. “To be fair, you did worse to dad.”

Leo coughed at the many memories of Piper using her magic against him. “Not the point!”

“What the hell were you thinking!” shouted Piper.

Paige nodded. “That was pretty stupid of you. You both know better.”

Chris agreed. “We let our anger get the better of us, but it worked out. We found out the real threat.”

Phoebe squinted her eyes. “The real threat?”

“Asmodeus. Aster was there with Mark and is preparing to bring him back.” Chris sighed as he looked at Joey. “Joe, I hate to tell you this. But when we found Mark, he was standing over his parents’ bodies, covered in blood. Then, Aster told us that he’s Mark’s father.”

Joey stopped breathing for a second. He nearly fell from his chair when PJ took his hand.

Wyatt nodded as he filled them in on everything. The news proved the danger of the situation with them deciding to take action. 

Brody returned to the Heavens to see if the Elders could uncover a method of vanquishing Asmodeus should it come down to it. Meanwhile, Piper worked on brewing the strongest potions with Chris and Wyatt helping. Phoebe and Paige worked on spells, while almost everyone stuck around to help.

Joey couldn’t bring himself to be part of this fight. Not in his condition. So he convinced PJ and Paulina to take him to their place so that he could get away. They agreed to let him leave, but Piper made sure that Joey took crystal wards to reinforce the protections at Phoebe’s house.

*~*

At their house, PJ placed the last of the crystal wards near the west window. She backed away as a transparent barrier manifested itself to reinforce the wards that already protected the house. She smiled and went into the living room to rejoin Joey and Paulina.

Joey and Paulina sat together on the couch where they watched a rerun of _Property Brothers_. PJ would’ve suggested they go out for a party if they weren’t focusing on laying low until the rest of the family figured out how to fight the cult.

PJ took a seat on a white chair. The chic feel of the house screamed Phoebe Halliwell as it carried a modern feel even though it was an old, row house. The modern touches helped to mask the age of the building. 

“How you doing, Joey?” asked PJ. “Do you need anything? Food? Tea?”

“Like I’d trust you to boil water.” Joey ignored his heartache and trauma to glance at PJ. Even as he fiddled with the bracelet that Mark gave him for their three-month anniversary, which he should’ve trashed instead of kept. “Paulina told me what happened last time you tried to make mac and cheese. How do you set water on fire?”

“Traitor,” muttered PJ.

Paulina chuckled as she winked over at PJ. “It was too good of a story to keep to myself. You proved that you really have no life skills. You’re a bottle-blonde cheerleader.”

PJ’s jaw dropped from such a harsh insult.

“That’s a burn if I ever heard one. Right, Markus?”

Joey, PJ, and Paulina jumped as they turned to find Aster and Mark stepping out from the kitchen. Aster tossed an apple over to Mark. Joey’s eyes met Mark’s gaze. Mark showed no real emotion at all as he took a bite from the apple.

PJ positioned herself in front of Joey and Paulina. “How did you get in here? The crystal wards.”

“Are weak.” Aster grabbed a silver amulet from his coat pocket, where a ruby laid at the center. “This was our backdoor into this lovely home. Now, girlie, get out of my way. The boy is ours, isn’t that right, Markus?”

Mark nodded. “Yes, father.” He stretched his hand to launch an energy ball.

“No!” Paulina raised her hand, freezing the energy ball. PJ nodded as she squinted her eyes to fling the energy back at Mark telekinetically.

However, Aster launched a fireball that neutralized the energy ball. Aster smirked as he had to admire the fire in these young witches. “Pity that you need to die now.” Aster waved his hand to fling them across the living room telekinetically. They crashed against the wall hard enough to leave them too dazed to put up a fight. “Let’s grab them all. I’m sure Lord Asmodeus would appreciate more sacrifices.”

Mark agreed as he went over to grab Joey.

*~*

At the manor’s sunroom, the Book of Shadows’ pages started to flip furiously. Hank and Tamora were the only ones in the room with the book as they focused on looking up anything useful. And with the book freaking out, it attracted attention. 

Hank and Tamora held their hands up as everyone rushed into the room. “We didn’t do it!” They said, instinctively defending their innocence.

Wyatt rolled his eyes. He got as close as he could to the book only for it to resist his touch. “That’s not good.”

The Book of Shadows calmed itself as it opened itself onto the page that contained the spell To Call Upon Our Ancestors. 

Piper shook her head. “Why that spell?”

Phoebe gulped as she started to think why the Book of Shadows would direct them to that spell. “Because it’s probably our strongest spell. And I’m willing to bet that Grams is telling us to use it against Asmodeus.”

Paige nodded. “It worked on the Source. It could work on Asmodeus too. Granted, it took us two tries to pull it off.”

“We can’t take multiple chances!” said Chris. “If Asmodeus returns, then we need to do it one blast.” 

Leo patted Chris’s back. “We know, buddy. Hopefully, we can stop whatever ritual Aster plans to perform.”

Coop started to agree when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart. Henry grabbed onto Coop before he could collapse. “Whoa! Coop, what’s wrong?”

“It’s them.” Coop held onto his heart. “The girls. I feel they’re in trouble.”

Phoebe gasped. “Are you sure?”

Orbs descended from the sky as Brody joined them too. He fell back against the wall as he, too, felt a psychic whiplash. “Joey. PJ. Paulina.”

Everyone’s eyes widened as they understood the meaning. Brody and Coop’s powers allowed them to sense danger, so they knew to take it seriously.

Wyatt stared at the Book of Shadows, committing the spell to memory. “We need a plan. If Asmodeus walks free, then we need the perfect method to vanquish him.”

Brody nodded. He pushed himself from the wall and took a deep breath. “The Elders think you can pull it off. But it’ll take all of you.”

*~*

The cold, dusty floor of the abandoned chapel snapped Joey, PJ, and Paulina out of their daze. They tried to get on their feet until they felt a heavyweight on them. They looked to the floor where they found runes painted on the floor, which likely caused their inability to move much.

As they looked around the chapel, they spotted Aster and Mark with a dozen other warlocks gathered before an ornate mirror.

The mirror vibrated with demonic energy. It burned the air, making it a struggle for them to breathe, but the warlocks didn’t appear bothered. Aster gathered Mark and the warlocks together as they offered their prayers with them hearing Asmodeus’s name.

Paulina gulped. “This is the part of every Urban Fantasy book where the Big Bad emerges from the magic mirror.” 

PJ fought hard against the warlocks’ spell but couldn’t move much. She groaned as she instead tried to telekinetically break the painted floor only to find her powers suppressed too. “Damn it. How the hell do we get out of this one?”

“We don’t.” Joey kept staring at Mark, who had his back turned to them. Joey tugged on the bracelet as he couldn’t understand how it came down to this moment. “There is no fighting. We’re dead.”

“Don’t give up. You’re a Charmed One.” PJ smacked Joey’s arm. “Do something cool.” She gasped as she felt an echo. Not from her voice but of emotion. She touched Joey’s arm, sensing his surrender but also the pain in his heart. She began to smile as she turned to Paulina.

Even if Joey gave up, that didn’t mean it was over.

PJ took Paulina’s hand. “Polly. Can you feel?”

Paulina blinked as she didn’t know what PJ meant until she did. She could feel a psychic echo of emotion across the room that originated from Joey. “Our Cupid powers. The spell is only suppressing our witch powers, not our Cupid ones.”

“That’s right.” PJ looked from Joey over at Mark. She gulped as she could pick up on so many conflicting emotions. “Something is blocking Mark’s emotions. A curse?”

“Can we unblock it?” asked Paulina as their empathic Cupid abilities could potentially do so, but they never tested it before. PJ muttered that they needed to try if they stood any chance at escaping. They held hands, connecting to amplify their Cupid magic as they tried to reach Mark’s heart.

Meanwhile, Aster grabbed a dagger that he presented to Mark. “Now, my son, it is time. Prove your loyalty to Lord Asmodeus and draw your first blood. Claim an innocent life.”

Joey’s eyes widened as he caught that last part. First blood? He thought Wyatt and Chris said that Mark killed his parents. What if Mark didn’t? Then, did that mean it was possible to save Mark? He knew that Prue helped a man rid himself of his warlock half by keeping him from killing. If Mark hasn’t killed anyone yet, then could he still be saved.

Mark wrapped his fingers around the dagger, holding it close to his chest. 

Aster smiled as he turned to the other warlocks. “On this, the last day of Vestalia, we pervert the sacred day of the Virgin Goddess of the Hearth and Family. Today, we break the Power of Three. And we restore our Lord Asmodeus to his rightful place by offering him the life of a Charmed One!”

“Praise Asmodeus!” shouted the warlocks.

“Praise Asmodeus,” Mark said, blankly as he went over to Joey. 

Joey gasped. He tried to back away, but attempting to escape was pointless in this situation.

Mark stepped over the painted floor. Mark prepared to grab Joey when PJ and Paulina’s hands radiated a soft-pink glow. A pink light flashed over Mark’s heart, causing the darkness to disperse from his eyes. The pentagram necklace he wore would chip too as PJ and Paulina’s magic broke the curse. 

A tear trickled down Mark’s face as he made eye contact with Joey. “Joey,” Mark whispered. He looked at the dagger then tossed it across the chapel. He extended his hand out and telekinetically blasted one of the symbols, breaking the ground to disrupt the spell. Joey, PJ, and Paulina instantly felt their full strength return to them. 

Joey prepared to throw his arms around Mark as they smiled at each other.

However, Mark pushed Joey back as something sharp ripped through his chest. Blood trickled from Mark’s chest and mouth with the tip of a dagger becoming exposed. 

“No!” shouted Joey. 

PJ and Paulina gasped. 

Aster removed the dagger from Mark’s back. He flicked the blood onto the dusty floor. “I warned you, Markus. I would not hesitate to vanquish you if you tried to ruin my plans.” Aster took the dagger and prepared to make his move when the mirror shattered. 

Aster would almost weep as he feared that he failed Asmodeus. However, an eerie mist began to escape from the mirror with the broken shards of glass starting to stir.

The other warlocks dropped to their knees and clenched onto their heads. Blood poured from their eyes, mouth, noses, and ears until they finally burst into flames. Wisps of dark orbs floated from their ashy remains over to the glass. The dust gathered to form a human-like figure. 

Aster fell to his knees with a broad smile on his face. He dropped the dagger and spread his arms out. “Lord Asmodeus. You finally returned!” Aster cheered. “Of course, my son, even with warlock blood, is still innocent. And you accepted my sacrifice!”

Aster laughed. “Do with me what you will, my lord. I am thy humble servant.” The dust pulled Aster to his feet, dragging him closer to the broken glass. Aster’s laughter echoed in the chapel as Asmodeus accepted Aster’s sacrifice.

PJ got on her feet first. She grabbed the daggers as she braced herself for whatever fight might come next. She had Paulina cowering behind her, and they watched with wide eyes.

Meanwhile, Joey pulled Mark into his arms. He wept as he couldn’t see how to save Mark even as he screamed for Wyatt, Brody, and Paige since they could heal. 

Mark smiled as he still had a little life in him. He gently stroked Joey’s face with his eyes dropping. “I’m sorry. I failed you,” whispered Mark. “Those things I tried to do. The pain I caused. I never would’ve done that if not because of the curse.”

“No,” whispered Joey. “I should’ve stopped Aster sooner. I should’ve sensed what he was doing to you.” 

Mark shook his head. He took the Green Lantern that still dangled around his neck and pulled as hard as he could to break the chain. He gave the necklace to Joey as he thought of the kindness behind the gift and its meaning to him. “Let those who worship evil’s might, beware your power.” Mark chuckled even as he died, his geeky side came out as he recited a modified Green Lantern's oath. However, when he laughed, he caused more blood to pour from his chest, causing him to cough. “Stop my father. Stop Asmodeus.”

Joey nodded. He took the necklace and leaned closer, kissing Mark. However, before Joey had the chance to utter another word, he felt Mark’s body grow cold as he failed to draw another breath. Joey closed his eyes and held onto Mark.

As Mark’s life faded, maroon ink dripped from the walls of the chapel, appearing like the chapel was bleeding.

The dust coalesced and consumed Aster’s body. A dark blue light began to rise from the ground. Joey pulled away from Mark’s body to stand beside PJ and Paulina. The light solidified into what appeared to resemble a human body, except not one.

Asmodeus manifested as a tall and broad-shouldered man with azure-skin and silver hair that grew to his waist. He turned to face them, greeting them with a pointy smile while golden blood poured from his eyes. He wore a tattered suit that covered little of his muscular form.

Asmodeus stumbled slightly as he continued to adjust to this form. He stared at his long fingers for a moment. “It’s been too long since I walked the world of mortals.” His voice sounded so chilly but also passionate from the distortion of the tones. “So much changed. But also so little. It is all the same.” Asmodeus sighed. “My warlock children. I can feel your essence sustaining me. Nourishing me until I can feast upon the innocent.”

PJ flicked her wrist, causing a chair to fly after Asmodeus.

However, Asmodeus only needed to blink to cause the chair to split itself in half and fall to the ground. “Ah, witches. You aren’t quite as formidable as the first ones I encountered. I suppose that is the distance from the All.”

Paulina gulped. “Any ideas how we stop him?”

“You don’t.” Asmodeus chuckled and licked his pointy teeth. “I am an Old One. Older than words. The root of evil. Fear. Desire.” Asmodeus stepped closer. His movements were more confident than before as he quickly adjusted to his form. “I am a child of the makers of this universe. When Shakti and Shiva consummated their union, they birthed us all.”

Asmodeus tilted his head back, stretching his stiff neck. “Their perfect children. The Gods that you filthy mortals worshipped. Then, there was us, the misfit children—the Old Ones. But our parents and godly siblings deemed us unworthy to exist. So they slaughtered and banished us until only a few remained.”

“I will avenge them all.” Asmodeus flicked his wrist to manifest a fireball with metal rings surrounding the fire. “Farewell, witches.” Asmodeus flung the fireball. Paulina attempted to freeze it, but she wasn’t strong enough to stop it.

The fireball would’ve killed them had they not received a miracle.

Light-blue orbs gathered near them. Paige appeared and threw her hand up to gather more orbs that formed a protective barrier that withstood the power of Asmodeus’s fireball.

Asmodeus raised an eyebrow. “Oh? This is interesting.”

Paige dropped the barrier. They found themselves grateful that Paige came to the rescue. “Well, aren’t you an ugly one,” said Paige. “So much for Prince of Lust.”

Asmodeus chuckled. “You should see what I can do with my tongue, woman.”

“I’m happily married.”

“You say that like it's a problem.” Asmodeus conjured another fireball to his hand only for his body to explode. Asmodeus’s body shattered into tiny fragments before reconstituting itself in an instant. He turned to his right to find Piper standing nearby, with Chris clenching his fists and Tamora holding onto a box. Asmodeus squinted his eyes. “You’re a powerful witch. I take it you’re the eldest.”

Piper nodded. “And the pissed off mother of the boy that your cultists wanted as a sacrifice.”

Asmodeus smirked. “My apologies.”

“Bullshit.” Phoebe’s voice echoed from the left as she stepped forward with Wyatt wielding Excalibur and Hank raising a frozen fist. They each tossed a potion vial at Asmodeus, triggering a massive explosion.

However, Asmodeus would not easily fall. 

The explosive energy gathered into a ball that Asmodeus generated over his palm. Once it all came together, he brought it to his mouth and swallowed. He absorbed the energy of the vanquishing potion, allowing it to merge with his body.

Asmodeus licked his lips. “Spicy. You, witches, are worth some entertainment after all.” He burped. “I’d actually be worried if you were a little tougher. But even in recovery, I am more than enough to kill you all.”

Phoebe took a deep breath to steel their nerves. None of them knew if this plan would actually work, but they braced themselves for whatever might come. “You haven’t seen us at our best!” She kept her voice sounding firm. “Wait till you feel the Power of Three.” She nodded her head.

Tamora opened the box to reveal a set of five crystals. “Crystals!” She orbed them from the box to form a circle around Asmodeus. The crystal cage manifested to keep Asmodeus trapped. 

Phoebe led Piper and Paige as they stood near Asmodeus. Everyone else worked on helping Joey, PJ, and Paulina.

The sisters held hands. “ _Prudence, Penelope, Patricia, Melinda_.” Flames began to manifest along Asmodues’s feet that slowly rose with every verse. “ _Astrid, Helena, Laura, and Grace. Halliwell witches, stand strong beside us. Vanquish this evil from time and space!_ ”

Asmodeus howled as another explosion went off that shattered the crystal cage with smoke covering the chapel.

They didn’t risk celebrating yet as they didn’t know if the spell proved successful or not.

The smoke settled, but Asmodeus remained unscratched. He brushed some dirt from his shoulder while looking at the sisters. “Is that your best? I am an Old One.” Asmodeus waved his hand, sending the sisters flying across the chapel. They crashed into the pews while the kids watched in horror. “Don’t think you can vanquish me like some demonic amateur!”

“Now!” shouted Chris.

Chris waved his hand to send other pews flying after Asmodeus with PJ following his lead to fling as many heavy objects as they could. Asmodeus covered himself as he didn’t expect a surprise attack. Asmodeus growled in frustration as he stomped his foot to send Chris and PJ flying backward when a dagger flew at his face.

Asmodeus leaned back to see Joey preparing to throw another dagger, but he flung Joey back before he could attack. He tried moving his hand but found slight resistance. He glanced to spot Tamora and Paulina rapidly flicking their hands to freeze him, but their powers weren’t strong enough to last longer than a millisecond.

Asmodeus huffed as he unleashed a blast of energy that pushed them down. Asmodeus regained all his momentum when he felt his feet growing cold. Hank stood nearby and blasted Asmodeus with cold wind to freeze him to the ground. Asmodeus summoned flames over his body before sending an electrifying blast of magic to zap Hank.

“Enough!” Asmodeus gathered lightning around his body as he prepared to shock everyone in the room when Wyatt came charging at him. Wyatt attempted to strike Asmodeus with Excalibur only for Asmodeus to swat it from Wyatt’s hand. Excalibur slid across the floor, landing close to Joey. In the meantime, Asmodeus would take his other hand and attempted to zap Wyatt, but Wyatt summoned his force field from his hand to block the attack.

Lightning crackled across the barrier with such power that it forced even Wyatt to drop to his knees. The barrier started to lose strength as Wyatt struggled to maintain his concentration.

“Your family is a nuisance!” said Asmodeus. “I heard whispers of the Warren bloodline from prison. And let me say that I am not impressed!” Asmodeus leaned forward to take his other hand to shock Wyatt’s barrier. “Today is the day that your family’s legacy ends!”

“Not today, you evil piece of shit!”

Asmodeus ceased his attack on Wyatt as he sensed a presence behind him. Asmodeus turned but didn’t have the chance to protect himself when he saw Joey holding onto Excalibur.

Excalibur glistened against the sunlight that peaked from the windows, and it showed no resistance to Joey’s touch. Joey thrust Excalibur through Asmodeus’s heart, spilling the golden blood on the chapel floor.

Asmodeus gasped as he tried to pull Excalibur out only for the sword to burn him when he touched the handle. “What! I will not allow a weak witch to be the end of me.”

Joey glared at Asmodeus, while Wyatt and Chris came around to join him. Tears poured from his eyes with his rage boiling from the still fresh scar of Mark’s death. “I’m not a weak witch. I am a Charmed One! And so are my brothers!” Joey reached to take hold of Wyatt and Chris’s hands. “And no evil shall escape our sight!”

Asmodeus backed away as he didn’t know what to expect. However, he would soon find himself surrounded. PJ stood beside Hank, while Tamora and Paulina covered another spot. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige recovered from the initial attack to block him from behind. From all directions, Asmodeus found himself blocked with no means of escape.

Wyatt smirked. “ _Prudence. Penelope. Patricia. Melinda_.”

Flames manifested at Asmodeus’s feet, causing him true pain unlike when the sisters cast the spell.

Chris nodded. “ _Astrid. Helena. Laura. And Grace._ ” The flames grew even higher.

Joey glanced at Mark's body before taking a deep breath, fighting the pain in his heart. He had only one chance to avenge Mark and himself, and he refused to blow it. “ _Halliwell witches, stand strong beside us!_ ”

Wyatt, Chris, and Joey prepared to speak the final verse, but they wouldn’t do so alone. This was the final phase of their plan. They didn’t know if the Power of Three alone was enough to vanquish Asmodeus, especially after the Elders warned them that they first needed to damage Asmodeus’s heart. Excalibur provided the power to do that, but they still needed more magic. The magic of every Halliwell witch: living and dead.

Piper, Phoebe, Paige, PJ, Paulina, Hank, and Tamora would join the brothers for the final verse.

“ _Vanquish this evil from time and space!_ ”

Their combined magic proved too much for the newly-freed Asmodeus. The flames consumed Asmodeus with his body erupting into waves of energy and ash pilling onto the ground. Excalibur bounced over the ground before lying over the ashes.

Everyone backed away as Asmodeus met his true death. At that moment, they knew that they came out victorious and that the greatest threat that they came across was no more.

However, they had no time to cheer. 

Joey held Wyatt’s hand and dragged him over to Mark’s body. “Heal him! Quick!”

Wyatt shook his head but did so with a frown. He would heal Mark, but the circumstances proved that he couldn’t do that. “Joe...Mark’s already gone.” 

“Try!” screamed Joey. “Please!”

Wyatt wouldn’t make his move as they didn’t have the chance. 

A ghostly figure manifested in the chapel with its skull appearing first. The figure took a corporeal form to reveal himself as an older, pale-faced man in a dark suit. His brown hair swaying slightly as he stepped over towards Mark’s body.

Joey gasped as he recognized the figure from the graduation. “You! What are you!” Joey went for a dagger to stop the stranger only for Piper to stop him.

Piper held onto Joey as he cried as she knew the stranger. “Joey. There’s nothing more that you can do. It’s Mark’s time.”

“What?” Joey stared at Piper with a frantic gaze before turning to the stranger.

The man nodded. “I thought this might make it easier on you, Joseph. To accept the inevitability of death.” He extended his hand out towards Mark’s body, pulling a silvery light from Mark’s body that coalesced into a sphere of bright light. He placed the orb into the pocket of his suit. “The most painful lesson that you all must learn. One that your mothers have on numerous occasions.” 

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige frowned, while everyone else appeared confused. 

Joey pulled himself from Piper as he moved to attack the man only for the man to take hold of Joey’s hand. Joey stared at the man’s pale eyes, feeling an odd sense of calm. “Who are you?”

“The Angel of Death,” he said calmly. He released Joey’s hand as Joey lost his motivation to attack. He placed a finger on Joey’s heart. “This young man was meant to die, but your love and your cousins’ actions spared him from a worse outcome. His soul may know peace in the Afterlife instead of rotting in the Wasteland.”

Death stepped back with a dark mist rising over his body. “Goodbye, Halliwells. Let us not meet again anytime soon.” Death vanished into the mist as a skull image lingered for a second more before fading entirely.

Even with Death’s promise that Mark would know peace, it did little to heal the whole that Joey felt in his chest. Joey dropped to his knees and cried his heart out as everyone did their best to try and comfort him.

*~*

“Thanks, Henry. You’re a real champ.” Piper hung up the phone. She went into the oven to pull out the last tray of triple chocolate chip cookies. She left it on the stove to cool when she looked behind her to face Wyatt, Chris, and Leo.

In the aftermath of Mark’s death, the family returned to the manor to tend to their injuries. And Joey would retreat to his room where he stayed for the last two days. They would only see Joey come out to use the bathroom and take whatever tray of food they left for him.

Piper dropped the oven mats and leaned against the kitchen island. “Henry took care of it. Henry got Mark, and his parents’ death labeled as a homicide. The cops are looking for Aster now, not that it’ll do much good.” 

“Good.” Leo took another cookie from the plate. “That’s one less thing for us to worry about. Now, we can focus on getting Joey help. I could talk to my soothsayer friend to see if he can help.”

Piper raised her eyebrows. “And risk him causing Joey to body swap? No, I think we can find someone else to help him. We saved enough innocents that surely one of them turned out to be a therapist.”

“There’s always Aunt Phoebe.” Wyatt turned away from his phone. “She’s got enough counseling degrees and experiences with demonic boyfriends and husbands. I’m sure she knows a thing or two.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “Would it kill you to take things a little more seriously?” He grabbed a plate of cookies. “I’ll take these to Joey.” Wyatt stuffed his phone into his pocket and followed Chris upstairs. 

Meanwhile, Piper and Leo started to brainstorm people who could be of help.

Upstairs, Chris knocked on Joey’s door. He waited for a moment before knocking again and asking permission to come inside. When they didn’t hear Joey respond, they decided to enter where they found a weeping Joey curled into a ball. 

They knew he wouldn’t eat a thing in this condition. Their hearts broke as they felt Joey’s pain and knew they needed to do more to help. Chris left the plate on Joey’s desk, next to the bracelet and Green Lantern necklace. Chris and Wyatt would move over to join Joey. They crawled onto the bed, where they surrounded Joey from both sides.

Wyatt wrapped an arm around Joey, pulling him towards his chest. Wyatt kissed Joey’s forehead and kept him close. Chris laid behind Joey and rested his head on Joey’s shoulder. Chris held onto Joey’s hand as none of them spoke a single word. The sound of Joey’s crying being the only sound in the room.

Wyatt and Chris didn’t pry. They focused only on making it clear to Joey that they would always be there for him and that he was loved.

*~*

As the Charmed Ones recovered from their battle, Zurie and Nomed entered the abandoned chapel. There they found the remains of the Halliwells’ battle against Asmodeus. 

Zurie knelt over the altar to retrieve a broken shard of the mirror. She slipped it into a green leather pouch. The shard hummed with the powdery substance already inside the pouch with the magics harmonizing. 

“It is exactly like I foresaw,” Zurie said, breaking the silence. “I knew that Aster would fail miserably.” She chuckled as she could picture the shocked look on Aster’s face to learn that not only did he kill his son for nothing but that his precious master also died in battle against the Halliwells.

Nomed retrieved a vial of Asmodeus’s ashes from the floor that hadn’t got swept away in the breeze that blew from a broken window. “What was the reason for this, mistress? I don’t see the reason for sacrificing Aster and the warlocks. And allowing the Charmed Ones to vanquish Asmodeus only made them stronger.”

Zurie nodded. “True, but we needed the competition removed.” Zurie held her hand out to Nomed. He gave her the vial, which she poured into the pouch too. The pouch burned in her grasp, not that she minded it. “The cult would follow Asmodeus till the end of time. And Asmodeus represents the old vanguard, the old ways of demons, not the future that you and I are building. The Charmed Ones did us a favor in the end by vanquishing him before he regained all his former power.”

“You believe that Asmodeus wouldn’t agree with our agenda?”

“Asmodeus was the spawn of Gods. His pride wouldn’t allow him to yield power.” Zurie slipped the pouch into her satchel as she gestured for Nomed to follow her out of the chapel. “This is all for the best, Nomed. We are writing a new future for demonkind. One not bound to the old ways. And with these new ingredients, the day of reckoning is coming.” She chuckled. “And don’t think I forgot your loyalty. Once my comrades return, we will reward you handsomely.” 

Nomed smiled. “With a seat amongst you?”

Zurie nodded. “Maybe not amongst the Inner Court, but you have earned a title. When the time comes, it is you who will lead as the general of the Hellfire Club’s legions.”

Nomed chuckled as he once more got Zurie to confirm his position. The promise of having a position of authority when the rules of the Underworld got rewritten served as his only motivation going forward. It was something that Zurie knew too, one that she would gladly grant him as his service proved quite beneficial.

And unlike the tyrants that existed before, Zurie had no intention of betraying loyal followers. The Underworld needed to change if the demons would break the cycle between good and evil, and finally end this war with them coming out as the victors.

And it would be Zurie and her associates in the Hellfire Club that would grant demonkind this victory.


	9. From the Ashes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! Welcome to another fun-filled chapter. You can consider this the beginning of "season 2," which is full of multi-part stories that lead up to the crossover with Charmed (2018). Thank you for sticking with me so far.

A few days out from the end of summer break, and Joey still wasn't where he wanted to be by now.

Joey dug his nails into the ground. He disregarded the sweat he felt on his skin or the dirt that covered his gym clothes. The serene nature of Limbo didn’t put his mind to ease as it should have. The gentle breeze, the running water, and chirping of birds that existed in this land of reincarnation did nothing for him. Instead, he found himself angrier than usual. He pushed himself up and clenched his fists as he glared at An Ling.

An Ling, the Zen Master that guarded the land of Limbo, didn’t show any emotion. She dragged her leg back. She positioned one hand to shield her face and left the other to taunt Joey by raising her fingers with a classic hand gesture. After years of training, she would prove too skilled of an opponent for even a Charmed One to overcome. It made An Ling the perfect martial arts master for Joey.

For the first few weeks of summer, Joey remained in a period of mourning for Mark. He rarely left his room or interacted with his family. Piper and Leo would decide to send Joey to stay with Billie and her family up in Sacramento for a week to get him away from his surroundings. It somewhat worked, the time Joey spent with his godmother helped to get him to interact with others again. And after he returned home, Phoebe suggested Joey take some martial arts lessons to help him fight demons but also to help him process his grief.

They realized that the best person to help them was An Ling. She didn’t hesitate at all as she felt that she owed the sisters for saving her father’s soul from Yen Lo and helping her become a true Zen Master. She spent the remainder of the summer training Joey with them, now turning to train in Limbo to accelerate his mastery.

In the present, Joey fell for An Ling’s taunting. He charged after her without showing any regard for his safety. It left him completely exposed as she easily blocked a punch then dragged him down to the ground to trap him in a leg lock.

“Yield, Joseph!” said An Ling.

“No!” Joey fought against her grip, but he couldn’t break free. “Damn it! I yield.”

An Ling released him. She rolled herself up before pulling Joey to his feet. “What did I tell you about maintaining control? If I were a demon, you’d be dead by now.”

Joey brushed a flower from his shorts. “I know. I know.” He sighed as he massaged his frontal temples. “May we try again?”

“Always. That is why we’re here.” An Ling took a few steps back. She raised her hands once more. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Joey took a deep breath. He tried to distract himself from the ache in his heart. He instead focused on the bracelet on his wrist, the one that Mark gave him. It was meant to help improve concentration, but it only caused more pain. He closed his eyes then made his choice to remove the bracelet and leave it inside his pocket. 

After taking the bracelet off, Joey felt a small weight leave his shoulders. He would always feel guilty about Mark’s death. If he had a premonition or sensed Aster’s curse sooner, then it might’ve been possible to save Mark. But that’s not what happened, that wasn’t Destiny’s plan. And he would have to live with that.

Joey sprang after An Ling. He tossed another punch, which she easily blocked. However, he proved himself ready for her leg sweep and jumped in time. He used the second it took for her to recover to slam his upper arm against her chest. The blow came hard enough to knock the wind from her, which brought a smile to her face.

“Good.” An Ling took a moment to get back to breathing normally. “That is what control gets you. It allows you to see your opponent’s weaknesses and allows you to strike.”

“Because you want to defeat your foe as soon as possible,” finished Joey as he recalled their earlier lessons.

“Exactly. The longer a fight gets drawn out, then you are left vulnerable to exhaustion.” An Ling bowed with Joey following in her example. She decided to end their lessons for today as they spent far too long in Limbo that they ran the risk of corrupting its sacred purpose. She would take Joey’s hand and guided him from Limbo back to their world.

Reality rippled as An Ling transported them home. They appeared in the manager’s office of a small shop where they found Piper sitting on a chair and busy on her phone. 

Piper placed her phone back into her purse. “Well, that was fast. I didn’t even get to finish my book.”

An Ling chuckled. “Sorry, Piper. But we trained enough for today. Besides, this one is starting school soon, right? It’s for the best that he gets back to a normal sleep schedule.”

Joey squinted his eyes. “I’m not ten.” 

“No, but you’ve been up till two in the morning,” said Piper as she held onto his arm. “Thank you again, An. You’ve been a big help.”

“Always happy to help.” An Ling and Joey bowed to each other again. “Keep practicing, Joseph. And don’t forget your meditation.”

“I won’t. Thank you, master.” 

They exchanged their farewells as they left An Ling’s herbal and meditation shop in Chinatown. Piper led them to the car so that they could head on home so that she could get started on dinner. On their way home, Piper made Joey text Leo about prepping some of the food for them since they couldn’t rely on Chris for help.

Chris was too busy running around Berkley for the freshmen welcome week. They also didn’t want to bother him since he wasted no time in sorting out his career plan and how to optimize his class schedules. And when he wasn’t focusing on his future, he also dedicated a fair amount of his time helping Hank research law schools since Hank set his sides on pre-law.

While things appeared great with Chris, the same wasn’t true for Wyatt. Dying Liberty’s last few gigs got mixed reactions: some good and many not so good. The band started losing faith even as Wyatt acted like their biggest cheerleader to keep them going. At least, professionally, things looked better for Wyatt. He finished his mechanic program and got a job at a dealership’s auto shop, which allowed him to make a decent living for a nineteen-year-old guy.

Things looked better when focusing on their Charmed destiny. Since vanquishing Asmodeus, the city got pretty quiet with demonic activity at a new low. They assumed the demons learned that the new Charmed Ones defeated an Old One, so the demons had no incentive to take any risks. Not that they complained, they enjoyed their demon-free summer.

“Do you want anything special to go with dinner?” asked Piper. “We still have time to go grocery shopping.”

“I’m good with whatever you make, mom.” Joey went into his pocket to grab the bracelet. He rubbed the beads for a moment before stuffing them back into his pocket.

Joey wouldn’t forget what happened with Mark, but he would learn to forgive himself for it.

*~*

The first day of school finally started, and Chris found himself amongst his people. Everyone appeared eager for the start of a new semester. The campus buzzed with excited students, especially from the freshmen crop, as their optimism left them wondering what new experiences awaited them.

Chris placed his syllabus for his Modern Literature class into his backpack so it wouldn’t get lost. He looked a bit snazzier than usual because of Wyatt and Joey’s influence. They got Chris to cut down some of the shag that grew from his head and also upped his fashion game. He strutted across campus in a casual, black blazer over a grey henley that looked quite nice with his jeans. 

Chris avoided the urge to scratch his head so as not to mess with the mountains of product that Joey fixed into his hair to keep everything in place. 

The walk across campus wasn’t quite as brutal as Chris expected. And as he neared the building for his next class, he found a friend waiting near a pavilion. 

“Miss Raja!” Chris walked over to an ebony-skinned woman with dreadlocks. She wore a colorful sundress that worked perfectly with her bubbly personality.

Raja squeaked. “Hello, Miss Chrissy! How are you?” Raja kissed him on the cheek with a bit of her red lipstick staining his cheek. She brushed it off for him.

“I’m feeling fabulous!” said Chris as he walked with her, their arms locked together.

They met last week during Berkley’s welcome week. Raja was a sophomore that came in as a transfer student, so she wanted to see everything the university had to offer. They crossed paths at the student organization fair, where they spoke at the LGBT center’s table. Chris spoke about his queer brothers, while Raja talked about her experiences as a trans woman. In an instant, their friendship took off, and they spent everyday blowing up each other’s phones. 

Raja’s heels clacked across the walkway as they went into the art studios. “Now, I don’t see why your nerdy ass is taking this photography class. You know you could take Art Appreciation for that easy A.”

Chris chuckled. “Actually, I kind of want to get into photography. Like for real.”

“You want to be a professional photographer?” 

“Maybe as a side job to help pay for things.” Chris smiled. “My Aunt Prue was a photographer for a magazine before she passed. My mom even gave me her old camera a few months back.” 

Raja touched her heart. “Oh! That is the cutest I’ve heard in a while. You want to honor your auntie’s memory.”

“Yeah. I guess I do. My mom and her younger sister love telling me how much I remind them of her.”

“It’s that spirit. You might be shy, but you got that boss bitch energy.” 

They laughed and made their way into the classroom. They found a pair of seats near the middle with a gorgeous, bronze-skinned woman with honey-brown hair sitting next to them. She kept it simple as she wore a cozy-looking red sweater and a white skirt. Raja graciously allowed Chris to take the seat next to the woman and even gave them a moment to get ready for class before she pounced. 

Raja leaned over her chair and extended her hand out. “Hello! I’m Raja. And this is my friend Chris.”

The woman smiled. Her hair slid over her shoulder while she took Raja’s hand. “I’m Bianca. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She went to shake Chris’s hand. Her warm, brown eyes looked deep into Chris's eyes. Her gaze left Chris stunned as he nearly panicked when he shook her hand. She didn’t appear to notice as she looked at Raja. “What year are you in? I’m a senior.”

“I’m a sophomore.” Raja came to Chris’s defense as she patted him on the shoulder. “And Chris, here is a freshman.”

“Ah! That explains why you look like a fish out of water.” Bianca smirked. “How are you adjusting?”

Chris nodded as he straightened himself up a little. “It’s a bit of a jump from high school. But it doesn’t seem that bad.”

“Not yet.” Bianca looked to the front of the classroom as their professor walked in and prepared to start class. “We’ll see how you feel around midterms.”

Chris chuckled while he opened his laptop to take notes. He glanced to notice Raja resisting the urge to snicker as she could see how lovestruck he looked. But neither of them noticed as Bianca eyed Chris, holding back her urge to smile as she thought he looked a little cute.

*~*

The high school had their activity fair going on for the first day rather than locking everyone away in a classroom, at least until the start of the lunch periods. It gave the new students a chance to explore the campus and get used to everything while allowing older students to figure out what groups to sign up for as they prepared for college.

Unfortunately for Joey, the activity fair turned into babysitting Tamora and Paulina. Joey muttered under his breath since PJ and his friends were busy with their student groups. He glared at PJ when he spotted her with her fellow cheerleaders.

“Bitch,” whispered Joey.

“It doesn’t look like there’s anything worth joining.” Tamora played with the end of her dark hair as she kept an eye out on any interesting groups. She found only volunteer and church groups, which she thought was annoying. “Why would I want to clean up a park in the name of Jesus? I could cast the Vanishing Spell and be done with it.”

“Personal gain.” Paulina’s eyes drifted towards the library volunteers’ table. She considered signing up, but she’d rather spend her free time at Magic School’s library.

Joey stuffed his hands into his pockets. “This blows so hard. I’d rather be in class then at this stupid fair. It’s not like there are any cool clubs here.”

Paulina squinted her eyes. “Aren’t you in the glee club and the LGBT alliance?”

Joey curled his lips. “Do you see either one here?” Tamora and Paulian pointed to their tables, making Joey eat his words. He tried to play it cool since everything annoyed him, but he couldn’t outsmart his quick thinking cousins.

They started to make their way out of the gym as the bell began ringing. They would leave for class when Joey bumped shoulders with another boy.

“I’m sorry!” The dark brown-skinned boy pushed his glasses closer to his eyes. He had a bit more weight than most guys their age and dressed in a way that didn’t allow him to stand out as he wore a red t-shirt and jeans. But he still looked a little cute with his baby face. He squeezed onto his backpack’s strap as he stammered a little. “I wasn’t paying attention. You’re not hurt, are you?”

Joey chuckled. “Easy, dude. I’m good. I’m small, but I’m tougher than I look.”

Tamora nodded. “It’s true. He kicked a dude twice his sized in the balls.”

The boy gulped as that was the last thing he expected to hear. “Okay. Sorry, again.” He tried to smile. “I got a little lost. I’m looking for Room T238.” Tamora and Paulina shrugged since they hadn’t memorized the school’s layout yet. 

“Oh!” Joey went into his pocket to grab his class schedule. “AP Chem with Mr. Rodriguez?”

“Yes! Are you in that class too?”

Joey nodded. “Yeah. I’ll walk with you.” Joey waved Tamora and Paulina off since they knew where to find their next class. He led the boy to the science building across campus while giving him a brief summary of how most of the school was organized. “So, I take it you’re new here.”

The boy nodded. “Yes. I moved here last month from San Diego. My dad is as a surgeon at Memorial Hospital.” He jumped as a thought hit him. “Oh! I never told you my name. I’m Rahul.”

“Joey.” They shook hands as they walked into class and sat next to each other, where they continued to talk until class started. 

*~*

Wyatt typed his employee ID into the computer so that he could clock out for the day. He still worked under probation, so he didn’t work the full time that the other mechanics did. Part of him enjoyed the lighter hours since it still left him with plenty of time for band practice, but he also wanted the extra cash. Then again, his OnlyFans started making a decent amount of money since he started posting more of his hookups.

“Yo, Wyatt! You finished the ‘14 Dodge, right?”

Wyatt finished clocking out as he turned to his supervisor. “Yes, boss. I left the file and keys with Iris.”

“Great. I’ll check with her. See you tomorrow, bud.”

“Bye.”

Wyatt went into the employee lounge to grab his stuff from the locker. He got his backpack and went to his phone first. He had several notifications to scroll through, which he started to review during his walk home. 

Luckily, the dealership wasn’t located too far from his apartment. It meant he could easily walk every day or take the bus if he got really tired. He tried not to abuse his orbing since he didn’t want to run the risk of using too much magic and attracting any unwanted demonic attention. Well, at least he got his powers back to working normally so that he could freeze or blow things up whenever he needed. 

Wyatt cleared some of the notifications since most were junk mail. He grinned from the five new subscribers, which meant a bit more change, and he also got more updates that their band’s merch got some new sales. He reminded himself to thank Jessica since her designs helped sell their shirts and patches. 

Wyatt reviewed the rest only to find a text from Brody. He found it odd that Brody would text but had to remind himself that it wasn’t like his Whitelighter could show up at his work. 

“Shit!” Wyatt read the text to find that a Whitelighter and his charge mysteriously disappeared. He gave Brody a call to get Chris and Joey moving so that they could meet at their last sighting.

*~*

Orbs gathered behind a crate of boxes at a dusty warehouse. Wyatt appeared with Chris and Joey arriving too. They laid low as they didn’t know what to expect since Brody didn’t give them too many details on how the Whitelighter and his charge vanished so suddenly.

Joey touched everything he could to trigger a premonition, but nothing came to him. So they couldn’t rely on his visions to guide them.

They went around the corner, being careful not to make any loud noises when they heard screaming. They remained cautious while wandering towards another wing of the warehouse. There, they found a pair of figures tormenting a couple trapped in bondage. A woman laid on the ground with handcuffs, her mouth gagged, and blindfolded. 

A pair of chains suspended a man that had an arrow sticking out from his chest. Sweat poured down his face as he screamed, but it wasn’t the arrow itself that did the damage. It was the poison.

A man in a black suit took out a vial to drain the blood that poured out. They could sense the poison, which made it clear that the man was a Darklighter. The man passed the vial to a hooded figure in a zipped black leather jacket and leather pants.

“We done yet?” asked the Darklighter. “I’d like to kill the Whitelighter.”

The hooded figure chuckled. It placed the vial into a small box for safekeeping. “You Darklighters are so quick to the kill. Fine. We’re done,” it said, speaking with a distorted voice. The lean figure of the hooded figure didn’t help in the slightest in letting them identify it. “Have fun with the angel.”

The Darklighter smirked. “Oh, I will.” He grabbed onto the arrow and pushed it so that the poison would spread quicker. The Whitelighter cried as his body began to crumble into orbs that exploded as his life came to an end. “Damn. That didn’t last as long as I hoped. I guess I’ll need to lower the potency of the poison.”

“Not my problem.” The hooded figure turned to the Whitelighter’s charge. The woman continued to cry, but it was hard to hear her cries. “I forgot about that one. Well, we only needed her for the Whitelighter. You can do what you want with her.”

“Two for one. Nice.” 

Wyatt growled. “Hell no!” He stepped out with Chris and Joey following.

The Darklighter conjured his crossbow and loaded it with an arrow. The hooded figure pulled its hood closer. 

Joey didn’t waste any time as he ran towards the Darklighter. “Leave the Darklighter to me!”

“He’s yours!” Chris led Wyatt after the hooded figure.

The hooded figure clenched its fist. “Charmed Ones!”

The Darklighter fired an arrow at Joey without thinking twice. Joey dodged the arrow, not that the arrow would do much harm. It would only hurt, its poison wouldn’t affect him like it would Wyatt or Chris.

The Darklighter attempted to load the crossbow again, but Joey got closer enough to strike. Joey kicked the crossbow from the Darklighter’s hand then kicked the Darklighter as hard as he could. The blow did enough harm to make the Darklighter stumble, which was all Joey needed. Joey took his lessons with An Ling to heart to finish the fight fast.

Joey grabbed the Darklighter’s crossbow and aimed. He pulled the trigger, causing the arrow to sail forward to strike the Darklighter’s heart. The Darklighter gasped as its body crumbled into black and indigo orbs before exploding. 

Meanwhile, Wyatt and Chris faced the hooded figure. They didn’t know what to expect, so they focused on surrounding it, but it proved far more skilled than them.

Wyatt attempted to freeze the hooded figure, but his powers proved ineffective. The hooded figure flung an energy ball after Wyatt that sent him flying into a nearby support pillar. As Wyatt fell, he would watch as Chris telekinetically tossed a crate only for the hooded figure to shimmer out of the way. The crate crashed onto the ground, splintering into chunks. 

The hooded figure shimmered back into view behind the woman. It grabbed onto the woman’s dark hair and drew an athame from its pocket. “Nice try, Charmed Ones. But you’re out of your league here.” The hooded figure slit the woman’s throat before they could stop it. It shimmered out of the warehouse, leaving the woman to bleed to death.

Joey dropped the crossbow and covered his mouth. The sight of another dead body proved more than he could handle. Chris would pull Joey against his chest to cover Joey from seeing the woman’s body.

Wyatt rushed to her side and tried to heal the woman, but it did no good as her body went limp. Wyatt shook his head, muttering a curse to himself for failing to save the Whitelighter and the woman. Her soul belonged to Death now.

*~*

The loss of an innocent presented itself as a brutal experience for Wyatt. After a string of protecting innocents, their streak broke with the death of the Whitelighter and his charge. Wyatt wanted to blame himself only to hear the Angel of Death’s words echo in his head. They needed to learn the lesson that they couldn’t save everyone.

But they sure as hell would keep trying.

Wyatt stuck his keys into the front door of his apartment. He slipped inside and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed but reminded himself that he had a band meeting. After a string of mediocre performances, they would take the time to reevaluate everything. 

Steve, Gordon, and Vinny sat on the couch as they reviewed their notes. The smell in the apartment came as a hot mess as they all came back from work. Gordon worked at his family’s Chinese restaurant, Steve worked in retail, and Vinny worked at his family’s fish processing center. Wyatt held his breath before opening a window and lighting all the candles that he could to air the funk out. At least the horrible smells helped him forget about today’s events.

“How are you immune to the smell?” Wyatt sniffed the beachy candle. “Especially you, Vin. You smell like rotting fish.”

“It stops bothering you after a while.” Vinny looked over his shoulder. “Damn, bro! Where did that bruise come from?” 

Wyatt glanced at his chest. He sported a massive bruise on his shoulder that stung with demonic energy. It had to be from the hooded figure’s energy ball. “Accident at work. I bumped into a car.” 

Steve cringed. “If you’re going to get injured, at least make sure that the car hits you. Get that worker’s compensation!”

“Want some ice?” asked Gordon.

“No, I’m cool.” Wyatt tossed his backpack then took a seat on the floor. He spotted some of the paperwork on their gigs, expenses, and merch sales. “How are things looking for us? Do we need to cut some costs? Or do I need to start working the streets instead of the camera?”

They knew of Wyatt’s sex work. And while they didn’t exactly find the idea of their bandmate resorting to sex work to cover costs, they couldn’t fault him for it. They were all attractive enough guys that they’d make more money from sex work than their current jobs.

Steve shook his head. “Honestly, our numbers are looking good. Gordo crunched the sales, and we actually netted a small profit.”

“Fuck yeah!” said Wyatt.

Gordon nodded. “Yeah. And, is it a little racist that you’re making the Chinese guy do the accounting?”

“Not in this case,” said Vinny. “You’re the only one that actually did well in Math. Wyatt and Steve barely passed, and I got held back a year. Let’s not risk going bankrupt because we let the idiots handle the budget.”

“Fair point.” Gordon coughed as he grabbed a piece of paper. “Oh! And I need to transfer the expenses for Jessica’s artwork. But even considering that, we could rent out some studio time with Ricky for a session. That should be enough time to record maybe two tracks.”

“Finally, some good news,” said Wyatt. “And what about the gig at Tria Feast?”

“It’s still on,” said Vinny. “We really need that show to go well. I don’t think I can handle the awkward claps or, worse, the booing.”

Steve nodded. “That means we should get back to rehearsing. Does this weekend work for everyone’s schedule?” They found themselves in an agreement. They would rehearse tonight, but they were too exhausted from work that they barely had enough energy to get dinner together. 

*~*

Joey felt a nasty headache brewing from his head. He barely got any sleep the last two days after witnessing the hooded figure kill that woman. They only recently learned from Brody that she was a nursing student named Mia, who would’ve likely become a Whitelighter if she had more time. Seeing Mia’s death brought only pain to Joey’s heart as he thought of Mark as those scars hadn’t quite healed yet.

He tugged onto the straps of his backpack. He went around the corner to spend some time at the library to read since school didn’t start for another thirty minutes. However, the positive vibes he hoped to generate to distract him got interrupted when he heard Rahul’s voice. 

“Leave me alone.” Rahul tried slipping away, but four boys surrounded him. Even though Rahul was taller, the ambush didn’t exactly help his situation. And he was far too passive to fight back properly.

The four boys acted like cliche bullies. Joey rolled his eyes as he knew these idiots well enough. They were a group of seniors that liked to torment underclassmen. They tried to pick on Joey once last year, but he had Chris and Hank for protection.

The boys picked on Rahul since he was an easy target for them. And, it didn’t help that they also had a bit of a racist streak.

“Make us, fatty,” said one of the boys. The others started to laugh with Rahul retreating into his shell as he didn’t know what to do.

Joey dropped his backpack on the floor. He grabbed their group’s ringleader, Johnny. He slammed Johnny against the wall while twisting Johnny's arm behind his back. “You’re going to leave Rahul alone from now on, right?” Johnny’s friends and Rahul looked stunned to see Joey as the attacker.

Johnny took deep breaths to keep himself from crying in pain. “What the fuck, Joey?”

“You’re going to leave him alone,” repeated Joey. “And every other kid at this school too because this is me going easy on you. You don’t want to see what I can really do.” For good measure, Joey tugged on Johnny’s arm more to show his willingness to break it.

“Deal! Deal!” Johnny rubbed his arm the moment that Joey released him. He muttered another “fuck” under his breath as he got his friends to follow him. They all flipped to realize Joey’s freakish strength.

Joey went to grab his backpack when he noticed Rahul standing completely still. Joey raised his eyebrows. “You okay?”

Rahul nodded furiously as he went over to Joey. “I’m good. But, damn! You showed up and kicked his ass like you’re Robin or something.”

Joey chuckled. “I’ve spent a lot of time practicing martial arts. Plus, Johnny and his friends are all bark and no bite. Give them the slightest push, and they’ll run away with their tails between their legs.”

“Good to know,” said Rahul as he followed Joey towards the library.

*~*

Chris shot off several texts before walking into his photography class. He promised Raja to take notes for her, while he also set up a coffee date with Mira for tomorrow. He found only a few of his peers sitting at their seats and didn’t see Bianca anywhere. He shrugged and went for the same seat he sat at last time.

Chris tried not to think about Bianca, but his mind kept drifting onto her. He felt his chest tighten at the memory of her sweet perfume and the way that she smiled at him. 

It didn’t make sense to him how he so easily fell for Bianca’s charms. As a precaution, he cast a protective spell on himself in case she was another Demon of Desire like Maya or something else. This time he would know if Bianca’s behavior was sincere or part of some demonic plot. That is if she even showed up to class.

About a minute before class started, Bianca finally entered the room. She didn’t think twice about taking the same spot as the other day. She made herself comfortable in the seat next to Chris as she gave him another smile. He still felt in control of himself, at least not counting his hormones, so she wasn’t using any demonic powers to charm him.

“Hey,” said Bianca. “Where’s Raja?”

“Doctor’s appointment. I’m taking notes for her.”

Bianca nodded. “You’re a good friend to have. I’ll have to make a note to call you when I can’t make it for class.”

Chris smiled. “Anytime.”

They didn’t have a chance to speak further as their professor entered the classroom. Today’s lesson saw the class diving into the deep end to understand the types of subjects that a photographer would use. The professor took advantage of an exhibit that the university would host later in the semester: a series on artistic nudity.

The professor displayed a set of nude photographs. The guys in the classroom started to holler with excitement since most of the photos focused on women. Bianca would roll her eyes. She glanced to her left to see that Chris didn’t appear phased by the photos as he instead focused on their artistic value even when the professor showed photographs of nude men.

Bianca smirked to herself. She found a decent enough guy. At least someone who appeared in control of his testosterone. 

Class continued without much trouble after the professor discussed other subjects until the end of the period. 

Everyone filed out of the room with Chris stuffing his things into his backpack. Bianca stuck her hip out a little as she stood next to him. Her blouse rode up a little over her jeans, not that Chris tried to notice. “So, does nudity not bother you, or are you that desensitized to it?” asked Bianca.

“Uh. A bit in the middle.” Chris slung his backpack over his shoulder. “After you stumble upon adult videos starring your older brother, seeing other people naked isn’t that big of a deal.”

Bianca covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing. “Oh, I can see how that’s traumatic.”

“It was more traumatic for our younger brother.” Chris led Bianca into the hallway. They started to chat a bit more with Chris talking about his family while Bianca spoke of being an only child and living with her mother.

They didn’t have much time to discuss anything further when Chris’s phone vibrated. He expected another text from Raja or Mira. However, he saw the text came from Brody, which warned him of another innocent in danger.

Bianca took out her phone. “Hey, let me get your number. That way we can cover each other for class.”

“Sure.” Chris lost focus on protecting the innocent as he instead locked eyes with Bianca. They exchanged their numbers, and Chris stood there like an idiot for a second longer than he should have when he remembered Brody’s text. “Oh, damn! I forgot.” Chris stammered his way into an excuse to get out of there. “I need to get my brother from school. Um...do you want to do coffee sometime?” 

Bianca nodded. “Sure. Text me later when you’re free.”

“I will. Bye, Bianca.”

“Bye, Chris.”

*~*

A woman ran to the ground floor of the parking garage. She couldn’t get to her car to escape because the hooded figures proved too quick. She relied on running, but it would do her no good as a trio of figures shimmered in front of her.

She fell to the concrete and started to weep. She extended her hand out to create a green, psychic barrier only for the hooded figures to strike the barrier with a barrage of energy balls. She easily lost her concentration, which left her completely vulnerable.

“This won’t hurt much, witch,” said the distorted voice of the hooded figure. The hooded figure struck the woman in the chest, conjuring a glowing portal of white light that would strip the woman of her active power. The hooded figure removed its hand with the woman fainting as it now possessed her power. “We’re done here.” 

Bright blue orbs materialized as the brothers arrived. 

The hooded figures summoned energy balls to their hands. 

“Hey!” Wyatt flicked his hands to blast one of the figures with explosive energy. The hooded figure exploded into tiny fragments that appeared to vanish. 

“You again!” hissed a hooded figure.

The other two flung their energy balls towards Chris and Joey. Chris swung his hand to redirect the energy balls back at them, which proved to stun them. Joey took a vanquishing potion and flung it at one of the hooded figures, incinerating it with a single blast.

“No!” shouted the stunned, hooded figure.

A swirl of fragments gathered near the surviving hooded figure. The fragments solidified themselves with the hooded figure that Wyatt blasted managing to reconstitute itself. 

Chris’s eyes widened. “They can regenerate!”

Joey stuck close to Chris as he braced himself for whatever might come next. “But we outnumber them and have the Power of Three.”

“The witch is right,” said one of the hooded figures. “We got what we wanted. Let’s not waste any more time with these children.” It reached out to its comrade, but in doing so, the brothers saw a strange birthmark on its right wrist but couldn't get a clear enough look to identify it. The duo shimmered from the parking garage, retreating to somewhere else.

Meanwhile, Wyatt rushed to the woman’s side. He worked on healing her, and they felt relieved when they saw her gasp for breath. She survived the attack, even if she lost her powers.

*~*

After her last class for the day, Bianca made her way into her apartment. Well, more like a studio that barely counted as a studio. The tiny space had only a kitchenette with her bed pressed against the wall. She had a small stand that she used as her desk that rested against her dresser. But the big windows and view of the city at least gave her the illusion of more space. 

Bianca opened the curtain to let more sunlight inside. She went to her fridge to get some water when she felt something. She slammed the fridge door with an energy ball materializing in her hand. She nearly went for the kill only to find the hooded figure that the brothers encountered before standing in her apartment.

“What are you doing here, Lynn?” hissed Bianca as she crushed the energy ball into smoke.

The hooded figure chuckled. It pulled down the hood to reveal a pale-faced older woman with short, blonde hair. She smiled as she took a seat on the edge of Bianca’s bed. “Now, honey, is that really how you should talk to your mother?”

Bianca squinted her eyes. She leaned against the sink and clicked her tongue. “You mean my crazy assassin of a mother who tried to kill me the last time we spoke? Yeah, I think that’s fair treatment.” Bianca flicked her wrist to conjure an athame to her hand. “So, I’ll ask again, mommy, what are you doing here?”

Lynn admired Bianca’s temperament since it proved her potential. “Put the knife down, honey. I come in peace. I only wanted to ask for your help. We’ve had some trouble with the new Charmed Ones getting in the coven’s way.”

Bianca curled her lips. It was like she thought. That first day of class, she made sure to look Chris up after learning his last name and that he was from the city. She could sense his power too but wasn’t certain if he was a Charmed One until now. “No. If you antagonized the Charmed Ones, then that’s on you,” said Bianca. “I’m not going up to bat against them for you.”

“The familyー”

“Screw the family!” Bianca closed her eyes. “You need to go, mom.”

Lynn frowned. There was no convincing Bianca when she got this stubborn. “Fine. But don’t forget that the old Charmed Ones came after us and that a future version of yourself needed help to deal with them. If that isn’t enough to motivate you against the Charmed Ones, then our family is doomed!” Lynn huffed before disappearing through a shimmer out of the apartment.

Bianca sighed as she fell to the floor. Lynn tried blackmailing Bianca into obedience with this future knowledge once before, but Bianca refused to follow. And after meeting Chris, Bianca didn’t see any reason to pick a fight against him or his brothers. Chris seemed far too nice of a guy to wander blindly into a fight against her family or any demons. 

She refused to become a pawn for her family. She refused to allow them to use her powers against Chris.


	10. Phoenix Rage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, y'all! Heads up that there is a sex scene during the first half of the second scene and post-sex cuddles towards the end.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

Nearing midnight, Bianca fished her phone out of her backpack as she made her way across campus from the library. She got done with a major study session for midterms and couldn’t wait to get home so she could sleep. She could already hear her pillows calling her name. 

Bianca had no problem with wandering the campus so late at night, even alone. She preferred the loneliness as it allowed her to clear her head. Plus, she had enough magic and training to kill any fool that dared to try anything “funny” with her.

However, Bianca would have trouble getting home. Unfortunately, it wasn’t douchey frat boys that blocked her way home. Instead, it was her mother. 

Lynn stepped away from a statue of some donor to the university. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood in Bianca’s way. “We have to talk."

“No!” Bianca said adamantly. She pushed Lynn and resumed her walk home. “Whatever it is, I want nothing to do with it.”

“This will involve you, Bianca. The Charmed Ones continue to get in our way.” Lynn followed Bianca as she had no intention of letting Bianca get away so easily. “They interfered with another of our hits last night.”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Wow, they haven’t bugged you for two months, and now you’re yelling at me. Still don’t care.”

Lynn grabbed Bianca’s arm. Bianca’s training took over as she struck Lynn’s shoulder. They would cross blows; they threw punches before knocking each other to the ground. Within the blink of the eye, they had a knife in their hands that pressed against their necks. 

Lynn smiled. “You’re not even the slightest bit rusty.” Lynn expressed a degree of cooperation as she pulled her knife from Bianca’s neck. Bianca would return the gesture but would keep the knife in her hand. “You’ll want to take this seriously, Bianca. If the Charmed Ones keep us from a target, then our contractor will turn against us. Including you.”

“I have nothing to do with your bullshit,” growled Bianca as she got on her feet. 

“I know.” Lynn frowned as she looked away from Bianca. “I did all I could to keep you from this mess, as you wished, but this demon doesn’t care. We’ll all suffer if the Charmed Ones stop our next hit.”

Bianca shook her head. “What do you expect me to do that no one else could before? Kill a Charmed One? The only demon to kill a Charmed One, and make it stick, is rotting in the Wasteland now because there was another sister.”

“You don’t have to pull a Shax,” said Lynn. “But I need you to keep them from us. Use the Inhibition Spell like your future-self did.” Lynn walked closer towards Bianca. “Or, use your actual charms to keep Chris away from us.”

Bianca flinched. “How?”

“I have people watching you, Bianca. Do something about Chris or else.”

“Or else what?”

“I’ll send someone else.” Lynn didn’t give Bianca the chance to strike. Lynn shimmered from the school before anyone spotted them together.

Bianca punched a nearby wall. She struck with such force that she broke part of the paneling. The sharp pain that traveled up her arm did nothing to distract her from her rage. Her self-preservation instincts, her hate for her family, and her desire to keep Chris out of this mess conflicted with each other. She didn’t know what to do now.

*~*

A calloused hand pressed down on Wyatt’s head, forcing him to deepthroat the man. The man’s dick choked Wyatt, but he was kinky enough to enjoy it. Wyatt’s body shivered when he felt his asshole stretch around another dick. Wyatt pulled his head off the man’s dick to look over his shoulder. 

“Easy there,” moaned Wyatt. “You’re thicker than most of the guys I’ve fucked.”

“Sorry, buddy.” A swift slap to the ass made Wyatt moan again. 

Across from the bed, the camera continued to record as Wyatt hooked up with a middle-aged, married couple from the Mission District. The couple, Tony and Charles, subscribed to Wyatt’s channel, and they exchanged a few messages about making a tape. Their schedules finally lined up since they had trouble between the couple’s work schedule and Wyatt’s Charmed duties. Wyatt thought he should’ve found a way to make this happen sooner. 

Tony and Charles didn’t disappoint. The sexual chemistry took off as soon as they met, which is also around the same time that the clothes did too. For older men, they didn’t look the part. Tony and Charles easily could pass for their early thirties instead of their forties from their youthful faces that contrasted against their growing love handles and gray hairs, not that Wyatt minded. Wyatt thought of himself as an equal opportunity slut. He got turned on more from a person’s mind and conversation then he did their body.

Tony and Charles went back to spit roasting Wyatt on camera. Wyatt licked the tip of Tony’s dick and made eye contact, while Charles continued to thrust into his ass. Charles would smack Wyatt’s ass again, which Wyatt loved. Wyatt would deepthroat Tony again, making Tony’s eyes roll back.

They would eventually lose track of time with Tony and Charles swapping after Charles came. Wyatt’s throat felt tired from sucking Tony’s dick, especially since he was longer than Charles. Charles would start making out with Wyatt, giving his throat a break while Tony slid inside of Wyatt’s ass. The extra inches made Wyatt lose it as he nearly came from a single thrust since he remained sensitive from Charles fucking him. 

They moaned together with the smell of sex filling the air. 

Wyatt closed his eyes as he buried his face against Charles’s hairy chest and belly. Wyatt’s mouth opened enough for Charles to push Wyatt’s mouth so that he would suck on Charles’s nipple. The sucking motion got Wyatt feeling hotter, especially as Tony picked up the speed. The constant thrusting made Wyatt’s aching erection rub against the silky sheets. Wyatt would come when Charles started squeezing on his nipples next. Not much longer, Tony would come too. 

With the session over, Wyatt left to use their bathroom to clean himself up. He wiped his ass of the lube as best as he could in the shower. He would check himself on the mirror to see his muscles looking a little paler than usual, which reminded him that he needed to get more sunlight. He spent too much time at work and his apartment; he needed some self-care. But he couldn’t see how he’d pull that off since scheduling these sessions ate up what little time he had left thanks to his Charmed duties.

And speaking of his duties, he wanted to kick himself in the ass for bringing up that thought. He forgot of the man that those hooded demons killed only a few nights ago that they failed to save. 

Wyatt tossed the towel on the sink before returning to the bedroom to see Tony on the bed. Wyatt started to grab his stuff as he told Tony that he needed to leave soon.

Tony rolled onto his side. “Are you okay, Mats?” Tony referred to Wyatt’s porn name since he didn’t use his real name. Not that the alias kept the porn career a secret from Joey and his friends. “You seemed troubled. Did we do something wrong.” 

Wyatt chuckled. If only Tony knew. “No. You, guys, are amazing. I just started thinking on some trouble I have.”

“Sorry,” said Tony. “Hey, if you want, Charles can do a cleansing on you. He’s gotten really into that Wicca stuff. Not that I get it. I’m still a recovering Catholic boy.” 

“I think I’m good.” Wyatt slid his pants on as he started to disassemble the camera. He did a quick check to make sure that their session got correctly recorded. “I appreciate the offer though. And, I have a feeling we’ll keep in touch.” Wyatt placed the camera into his backpack. “Maybe next time without the camera.”

Tony smiled. “Oh, we’d like that.”

“Like what?” Charles returned with some water bottles and Wyatt’s shirt. 

“For round two,” said Tony.

“Oh, yes!” Charles beamed.

Wyatt laughed. He would put this couple on his list of repeats. If only because they made him laugh.

*~*

Chris got out of class early so that he could see his photography professor for office hours. The professor promised to review some photos that Chris took since he wanted to get started on pursuing photography as a side job. 

The professor flipped through the album. He didn’t take too much time on any page, which left Chris nervous. Finally, he closed the album and handed it back to Chris. 

“Not bad,” said the professor. “You’re not trying too hard to look artsy like some of these kids. I swear if I have to endure another set of fruit bowl photographs that I’m going to shoot myself.” The professor chuckled as he ignored his trauma to focus on his critiques for Chris. “You show some promise. I would encourage you to take an advanced course next semester or maybe apprentice under someone before you attempt to do any paid shoots of your own. You’re still a little rough around the edges.”

The professor thought on it a bit more. “What are you doing for the semester project?”

Chris shrugged. “I have no plans yet. I figured I’d take some photos, but I don’t know what yet.”

“You know, it wouldn’t hurt to get in front of the camera. You can do joint projects so one of your classmates can be the photographer and you the model. It is important to know what to do in front of the camera as it is to work behind it.”

“Thanks for the feedback, professor. I’ll keep it in mind.” 

They left the office together since they had a few minutes before class started. 

They walked downstairs to the classroom, where Chris slid between Bianca and Raja. Chris mentioned the professor’s comments and his new plans for the semester project.

“Any of you willing to help?” asked Chris.

Raja clicked her tongue. “Actually, I’m working with Esteban on a collaborative project. We’re going _Vogue_ on a budget.”

“I can see you two pulling that off.” Chris turned to Bianca. “What about you? Want to team up?”

Bianca didn’t say anything for a moment. She could only hear Lynn’s words echoing in her mind that if she didn’t distract Chris, then her family would intercede. She could see this as her chance at saving him, but she didn’t know how she could effectively keep him away from his duties.

“Bianca?” repeated Chris. “What do you think?”

Bianca nodded. “Yeah, I’m down for us to work together.” She glanced at the screen at the front of the classroom as the professor pulled up more artistic nudes. The photos gave her an idea. “Why don’t we make it a nude photo session?”

Chris’s eyes bulged from his skull. “Nude?”

Raja snickered as she started to clap. “Oh! Yes! Make it happen.”

*~*

It felt oddly hot today, which made gym class extra miserable. Joey and Rahul ran miles together with the other kids that wanted nothing to do with flag football. They didn’t hate running around the track, but the heat proved frustrating.

The only bright side to the day is that Joey got to spend it with Rahul. They had three classes together, which made the day go a little faster. In the short period that they’ve known each other, they also grew close enough that it felt like they spent years being friends.

Joey groaned as he tried to fix his shorts. The school shorts came down below his knees, which irritated him since he usually ran in proper running shorts. “Stupid uniforms! Why did the school waste money on these? And this fabric is going to make my nipples bleed.”

Rahul chuckled and looked at Joey. He could tell that Joey purposely slowed down for him so that they could jog together. “You don’t wear an undershirt?”

“It’s hot enough without the undershirt.” Joey tugged at the shirt to keep it away from his nipples as best as he could. “Are you wearing an undershirt?”

“Yeah.” Rahul pointed at his chest. “I’m bigger. So, I don’t want these to bounce around. Otherwise, the guys here will start making fun of me. I already got called ‘man-titties’ enough in junior high and freshman year. I don’t want to live that again.”

Joey frowned. “I’m sorry. Boys are real dicks.”

“They’re the worst.”

They finished another lap and had few minutes left to run another lap before the coach blew the whistle to clear the field.

Joey brushed the sweat from his forehead. He would at least get a little tan from the time out in the sun. He glanced at Rahul and smiled. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you look fine. There’s nothing wrong with a guy who has some meat on his bones.”

“Thanks, Joey.” Rahul smiled. “So, are bigger guys you’re thing? Is that why you dated that Mark guy?”

Joey bit his tongue. He knew that Hunter, Sasha, or Ari would’ve told Rahul about Mark sooner or later. He didn’t think that he’d have to deal with it this soon. Hearing Mark’s name was all that it took for Joey to relive some painful memories, which only grew more painful from the recent loss of innocents from the hooded demons. 

Joey held it together. He didn’t have much of a choice. “Mark...I guess you can say that I had a type.”

Rahul frowned. “I’m sorry for bringing him up. I forgot that he passed.”

“It’s fine,” said Joey. “Not your fault.”

Rahul felt like it was his fault as he kept an eye on Joey, and noticed that Joey appeared ready to cry.

*~*

Meanwhile, Wyatt looked arms with Chris as they walked the streets of the Castro. Wyatt got out of work early, and since Chris finished his classes, that meant they could do some “brotherly bonding” as they went thong shopping. 

Chris regretted agreeing to the nude photo shoot, but he regretted asking Wyatt for help.

The first idea that Wyatt had to help Chris with his nerves was for him to get a thong. Wyatt knew that many models weren’t actually nude during photoshoots and would use barely-there underwear and coverings to create the illusion. The thong trick would work so long as Bianca didn’t make Chris do any full-frontal nudity.

Wyatt held the door open for Chris as they went inside his favorite underwear shop. Wyatt waved at the employees since he was a frequent enough visitor to know everyone.

The world that Chris entered left him almost speechless since the shop didn’t sell only underwear but a wide selection of kinky gear. The first thing Chris saw was a mannequin in a dog hood and a black gimp suit. “Oh dear,” whispered Chris as he tried to take his eyes off the mannequin.

“You’ll get used to it.” Wyatt gestured Chris to follow him. He led him to another section of the underwear section, which was far away from the latex gear and far away from the dragon-dick dildos.

But Chris couldn’t keep his eyes off anything. He stared at the walls of leather and kinky gear. “That is something. You think our assassins shop here?”

Wyatt snorted as he brought Chris to the underwear section. “Doubt it.” Wyatt looked at the racks to find the thongs. The section had a plethora of sexy underwear for men. Chris felt a bit more comfortable here since he knew what to expect.

At least until Chris saw the selection of jockstraps and crotchless underwear. 

Wyatt didn’t blink twice since this was his world. He bought a few pieces here that he wore for his videos and sometimes to feel sexy. His finger glided across the clothes rack to find the nude-colored thongs. “You’re a medium, right?”

Chris nodded. “Yeah.” He grabbed a red thong and noticed how stretched out the crotch looked on it. “Um...why does this look like that?”

Wyatt glanced at the thong. “It’s like a push-up bra but for your dick and balls. It gives the illusion that it all looks bigger.” He found a medium, nude-colored thong that didn’t have an exaggerated pouch. He handed it over to Chris. “Why? It’s not like you need one.”

Chris groaned as he took the thong. “I can’t believe we’re talking about this.”

“Dude, I’m your brother, I’m the one person you can probably talk to about this openly without judgment,” said Wyatt. “Take advantage of the fact that we’re close, and I make a living from sex. Oh! And speaking of sex.”

“Bianca and I aren’t hooking up,” Chris said, sounding a bit on the defensive side.

Wyatt raised his hands. “Not what I meant. Let me rephrase that. I actually thought of something regarding the photoshoot. How’s the body hair situation back there?”

Chris raised his eyebrows. “What about it?”

Wyatt took a deep breath since he didn’t know how to say it without making it sound weird. “I’m sure you keep the boys well-groomed, but the butt is a different situation. Especially when you’re wearing thongs and taking pictures, the hairs can make things cling there that we don’t want there.”

“Oh!” Chris understood what Wyatt meant as it all went back to poop. “Um...there’s not much hair there.”

“Lucky.” Wyatt went into his pocket to grab his phone as he felt it vibrate. “Go try those on to see how they fit. Store underwear goes over your underwear,” instructed Wyatt since he knew Chris wouldn’t know how to try on underwear.

“Thanks.” Chris walked to the dressing curtains, which were next to a wall of cock rings and chastity cages. He closed the curtain. 

Wyatt frowned as he saw the text from Steve. Another venue canceled on them, which made seven this month. He didn’t know how they could make the band work with all these canceled gigs.

Wyatt stuffed his phone into his pocket and went towards the dressing room to focus on helping Chris so that he wouldn’t think of the latest failure.

*~*

Joey sat cross-legged on an old, floral-pattern lounge chair. He had the Book of Shadows on his lap as he turned its pages to find the image from his premonition.

Since the attacks with the hooded demons started, Joey practiced triggering visions. He followed Phoebe’s lessons and proceeded carefully since forcing visions could trigger him to learn things he didn’t necessarily should know and attempt to prevent. He knew that he saw a strange marking on one of the hooded demons and knew they could use it to identify who was responsible for all the killings.

Luckily, Joey managed to have a vision of a previous attack. Things were fuzzy, but he saw the marking clearly enough to search for it now. He reached for his water bottle when he found the page on Balthazaar. He knew that Balthazaar wasn’t involved, so he moved on to the next page. 

Turning the pages a few more times, Joey would eventually find the marking. “There it is!” Joey dropped his water bottle on the floor. He cursed at himself as he placed the book on the chair and started to clean the mess before it warped the floor. “Wyatt! Brody! I found them!”

Light-blue orbs gathered with Wyatt and Brody arriving at the attic. They went to Joey, who showed off the entry from the book. “Our hooded demons are the Phoenix!” said Joey. “Well, not demons, but witches who trace their origins from the Salem Witch Trials too. Although, they use demon powers. Brody?”

Brody nodded as he scanned the entry. “Their demonic powers have led us to confirm that they’re demon-witch hybrids. At some point, their ancestors had relations with demons, which is what makes the family so formidable.” 

“Yikes.” Wyatt switched his brain into focusing on fighting demons rather than wallowing on the loss of another canceled gig. He would figure out how to save his band after they killed these demons. “That’s why my freezing power isn’t that effective. So, are we looking to kill the family?” 

“These are contract killings,” said Brody. “Which explains the random nature of these victims. If you go after the Phoenix family again, it might start a feud.”

Joey closed the book but kept the bookmark on the entry. “Does that mean we forget about them?”

“It means that you need to move carefully,” said Brody. “You’re already on the Phoenix’s radar now. If you’re not careful, then these assassins will come after you.”

“Who’s radar?” The heels of Piper’s boots clicked across the floor as she went over to join them. She saw them gathered around the book, which never meant anything good. “Did you identify the demon?”

“Phoenix!” said Joey.

The mention of Phoenix made Piper pause for a moment. She stared at them before clicking her tongue. “The assassin witches?”

“You fought them before?” asked Wyatt. 

“We crossed paths once,” Piper said, keeping the true story a secret. “Um...where’s Chris? There’s a package for him.” Joey squinted his eyes at Piper since he could tell she was hiding something.

Wyatt checked his phone for the time. “He’s probably doing his photoshoot with his classmate. I think he said he was meeting at her place.”

“Her?” Piper whispered.

“Right!” Joey placed the Book of Shadows on the altar. “What’s her name again? Brittney. Becca.”

“Bianca,” said Wyatt.

Piper gulped. “Bianca? Are you sure?”

“Yeah?” Wyatt squinted his eyes. “Why? You got something against women named Bianca?”

Piper frowned and brought a hand to her forehead. “This can’t be a coincidence. You need to call Chris and get home.” Wyatt and Joey asked why Piper had issues with Bianca. While Piper wouldn’t tell them everything, she would vocalize her concerns. “The last time we crossed paths with the Phoenix family is when future Chris came back in time. His fiance would follow a few months later to bring Chris to the future and almost killed him before she got herself killed.”

“And?” asked Wyatt and Joey as they feared Piper’s most likely conclusion.

“His fiance was a Phoenix named Bianca.”

Wyatt and Joey immediately grabbed their phones to send warning texts to Chris to get away from Bianca.

*~*

Unfortunately, Chris wouldn’t see those texts. He left his phone in his backpack and left it on vibrate. He watched as Bianca finished setting up the tripod and the lamp. He stood uncomfortably in the tiny apartment as he didn’t know what to do now. 

Should he start stripping? Would they do this one article of clothing at a time? Or did she change her mind about the setup?  
  
Bianca brushed her brown hair over her shoulder. She smiled at him. “Okay, so here’s what I was thinking. We keep you on the bed since we don’t have much space. We’ll start with you only in your underwear. Then you go nude. Does that sound fine to you?”

Chris nodded nervously. “Yeah,” he stammered. “I can work with that. Um...it is okay if I wear the thong, right? It matches my skin pretty closely.”

“Sure. You do have other underwear on, right?” 

Chris nodded again. Bianca finished setting up the camera while he started to undress. He stripped down to his boxer briefs and left his discarded clothes near his backpack. 

Chris sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Bianca to give her orders. She snapped a photo to test the filter before giving proper commands. She had him perform different poses, and they tried adjusting the setting as best they could. They would close the blinds, then open them, have him stand near a doorway or the fridge, and had him lay on the floor.

After a few rounds of photos, Bianca had Chris change into his thong. Chris nervously followed the command as he took his thong out from the backpack and still ignored his phone. He changed in the bathroom since he didn’t feel comfortable enough to let Bianca see him fully nude. Not that the thong helped that anxiety. 

Even after testing it last night, Chris felt like his dick and testicles would pop free. He did all that he could to make sure everything got properly covered as he returned from the bathroom. He didn’t know how he felt about the string that pressed against his asshole. 

Bianca looked at Chris without blushing. She did take a peak near the crotch to see a decent-sized package. She went back to looking at his eyes before he noticed her ogling him. “It does match your skin tone,” she said calmly. “I think we’ll do more sitting poses or angular ones. You can still see enough of the fabric.”

“Okay.” Chris went for the barstool that Bianca pointed at for the next round of photos. He put his elbow on the countertop and rested his head on his hand as he stared out the window. He used his other hand to cover his lap to hide the thong. “So weird,” he said as Bianca took the picture. “The last woman I was this naked in front of tried to eat me.”

Bianca removed the camera from the tripod to change the angle. She squinted her eyes as she had a feeling she knew how to interpret that comment. “You mean figuratively, right? It wasn’t a Jeffrey Dahmer situation.” She knew he likely meant literally given his role as a Charmed One, but she didn’t want to tell him that she knew about him.

Chris nodded as the camera flashed. He took his next position on the floor. The cold wood felt very odd on his butt, and he thanked the gods that he took Wyatt’s advice about showering before coming over.

They took a few more photos around the room before Bianca reviewed the collection on her computer. Chris grabbed his boxer-briefs and a shirt so that he had some of his modesty back. He looked at the photos and found himself impressed with how they turned out.

“You have a good eye,” said Chris. “I think we can get a good grade from these.”

“Because I did that good of a job or because the professor is going to enjoy seeing you naked?” Bianca looked over her shoulder to see Chris blush. She chuckled as she found Chris too cute. It made her feel guilty about keeping him distracted purposely as she looked to the clock to see that Lynn would meet with the contractor in about two more hours.

Bianca didn’t know how she would keep Chris away for that long. And she didn’t want to take advantage of him. However, she couldn’t help but feel drawn to him too. He sucked at flirting and hiding his emotions, so she knew how he felt. But she didn’t want to give him false leads. And yet, she couldn’t ignore the tugging at her heart.

Chris turned from the computer to lock eyes. They smiled then before he realized it, he saw Bianca leaning closer, so he matched her movement. Their lips would touch. The kiss started soft, nervous as they didn’t know what they were doing. But then it changed when she closed the computer and got up from the chair. She wrapped her arms around Chris’s neck, and he held onto her waist. 

They stumbled towards the bed with the kiss deepening. 

Bianca knew she would regret this and that she needed to tell Chris the truth about her first, but her heart overpowered her rational mind. She sat on his lap and took her shirt off before leaning back over so that they could make out again.

*~*

With their fingers interlocked, Chris and Bianca laid over her comforter. Their clothes and a used condom, back in its wrapper, laid on the floor. They smiled as they moved their bodies closer. The post-sex afterglow left Chris feeling giddy while Bianca felt similar emotions even as she felt guilty over her family.

Chris used his free hand to graze Bianca’s body with a featherlight touch. He traced her arm, her hip, her belly, and even touched her breasts before leaning over to kiss her shoulder. She smiled. She kissed his cheek before breaking their contact. She mumbled that she needed to use the bathroom. 

Chris looked at Bianca’s butt as she bent over to grab some of her clothes. He sighed before deciding to get out of the bed. He grabbed a tissue to wipe the condom’s lube from his dick before grabbing his underwear. He got somewhat dressed before grabbing his phone when he saw a string of missed texts.

The texts sent chills down Chris’s spine, especially when he saw that Joey sent a picture of the Phoenix’s entry from the Book of Shadows. It specifically said that a Phoenix had a bird-like marking somewhere on their body; a mark that exactly resembled the one on Bianca’s arm. He had to fall for another demon, and this time he actually had sex with one.

The sink rank as Bianca finished washing her hands. She came out of the bathroom, partially dressed when she saw Chris’s demeanor changed. “What’s wrong?” she asked. 

Chris flicked his wrist to levitate a chair. “Is this some kind of trap? Am I your next bounty. Or did I get in the Phoenix’s way?”

Bianca gulped. “How did you know?”

“My brothers texted me. So, what’s the endgame here, Bianca?” asked Chris. The chair continued to levitate as he would throw it at her at a moment’s notice. “Have sex with me then go black widow on me?”

“That’s not it! I do like you, Chris,” said Bianca. “Let me explain.” Chris backed away but kept the chair floating. She sighed as she stayed still and raised her hands. She spoke of her family and how Lynn wanted her to keep the brothers distracted. She spilled her guts to Chris and hoped for the best as she spoke the truth. “I know this doesn’t make me look good, Chris. But I promise I do like you. And I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn’t know-how. Or how you’d take it.”

Chris stared at Bianca. He held back tears, and the chair started to wobble as it weighed on his mind. He had to drop it as something in his heart told him that he could trust her. “Put your clothes on.”

Bianca raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

“We’re going to meet my family. So that we can vanquish the demon that contracted your family.” Chris orbed his clothes on and grabbed his backpack. Bianca nodded as she got dressed too. He would take her hand once they finished. “Don’t make me regret trusting you.” The words hurt Bianca’s heart as she nodded when Chris started to orb them to the manor.

*~*

Chris orbed them into the sunroom where hell nearly broke loose.

Everyone’s gut reaction when they saw Bianca with Chris was to attack. Wyatt and Piper nearly blew Bianca up when Chris stopped them. He had Bianca explain what her family plotted and what little she knew of the demon that contracted them.

Piper and Leo went still as they stared at Bianca, while Wyatt and Joey asked a million questions. Brody attempted to fill in the gaps as best as he could.

Brody paced around in circles to help himself think. “The demon likely wanted those people killed for some ritual. They needed a Whitelighter’s life, the life of a potential Whitelighter, specific powers from witches, and a mortal. The killings are too random that they could only involve a ritualistic purpose.”

“And not a good one,” said Leo. “It’s not like Eames, who clearly wanted entrance to the Heavens so he could kill Elders. I think this demon is either attempting to empower itself or bring someone back.”

“We prepare for the worst then!” Joey jumped to his feet. “We need potions. To the kitchen!” 

“Yes!” Wyatt followed Joey only to turn back to face Chris. “You coming?”

Chris almost went with them when Piper stopped him. “Actually,” said Piper, “we need to talk to Chris. And Bianca.” She glanced at Brody, gesturing for him to follow. Brody didn’t hesitate to follow Piper’s command as he left for the kitchen.

Chris and Bianca didn’t know what to expect as Piper and Leo led them to the backyard. 

Piper made sure the door was closed correctly before deciding to speak. “There’s something you, two, need to know since Destiny clearly wanted you to find each other.” She began to tell them about Future Chris and Bianca as she explained how her last encounter with the Phoenix family went.

Bianca chuckled. “That’s why my mom hates you,” she said. “She always tried guilt tripping me about killing good witches because future me needed help.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” said Leo. “The future versions of you knew each other. Actually, you were engaged.” Chris and Bianca gasped as they hadn’t expected to learn that detail. Leo continued to fill them in on how the Future Bianca came back in time to bring Future Chris back to the future and how that resulted in her death. “But there is more to the story than that,” continued Leo. “There is stuff about Future Chris that we kept hidden from you, Chris.”

Chris crossed his arms. All the information proved difficult to process, but he knew that he needed to hear it. He already learned that his crush was a demonic-witch and the fiance of his alternate timeline self, so he didn’t think it could get worse. “Like what?”

“The real reason why your future self came to the past.” Piper sighed. “We ignored telling you all this because we didn’t want to tamper with your choices. We wanted you to have the freedom that the future you didn’t have. But since you found your way to Bianca again, you should know the other parts of the story that involve Wyatt.”

Chris squinted his eyes. Bianca scratched her head as she didn’t understand how this part involved her until Piper started speaking again.

“The future Wyatt recruited the future Bianca to bring future Chris home by any means necessary to punish him,” said Piper. “In that timeline, we failed to stop Gideon in time after he kidnapped Wyatt. And that left Wyatt scarred. Scarred enough to become evil.”

“Evil?” said Chris. “But the future me came back to protect Wyatt from Gideon.”

Leo shook his head. “Yes, but the true purpose was to alter the timeline so Wyatt wouldn’t become evil.” He sighed. “And when future Chris returned to his timeline. This evil Wyatt killed the future Bianca when she tried to help future Chris escape.”

Bianca sighed as she understood how this involved her now. 

Chris closed his eyes and held back tears. “Does Wyatt know?”

“No,” said Piper. “We never told him the truth because we didn’t want to risk him learning of this alternate him might make him give into evil. But since you and Bianca found each other…”

“It’s possible that the dark future can still happen,” finished Chris. 

“Yo!” Joey stumbled out of the manor but managed not to hear anything that they discussed. He looked at everyone to realize something clearly happened. He decided not to pry. “The potions are bubbling. Should we get going before they meet the contractor?”

Chris brushed the tears from his eyes. “Yeah. We should.” He glanced at Bianca. “Do you know where they’re at?”

“No, but I can track them.” Bianca stuck her hands into the pocket of her jeans as she returned to the manor with Joey.

Chris went over to Piper and Leo. He stopped for a moment and sighed. “You’ll need to tell Wyatt the truth sooner than later. I could’ve lived without knowing about the other me’s relationship with Bianca. But Wyatt...he needs to know that Gideon’s fears of him becoming evil were valid.” Chris didn’t wait for their response as he went back inside the manor.

Piper and Leo frowned as they knew that this moment was bound to happen, but still felt horribly underprepared for it.

*~*

Bianca tracked her family down to a condemned section of Alcatraz. The cold brick walls left an ominous feeling in the air as the lack of windows didn’t help. She led the brothers there, and they kept to the shadows so that they could uncover the identity of the demon that contracted her family. They took it one step at a time as they wandered behind crates of park supplies and forgotten prison supplies. 

They looked from the corners to spot Lynn with a trio of comrades as a slender figure in red robes appeared from flaming. The slender stranger pulled down the hood to reveal Zurie. She extended her hands to Lynn before they exchanged kisses on the cheeks.

“Now, Lynn,” said Zurie, “do you have what I want?”

“Yes, mistress.” Lynn handed a crystalized orb of green energy and a potion vial of luminous orbs. “The power of witches. And blood from a Whitelighter.” She snapped her fingers as her comrades handed other items locked in cages. “The organs. More blood. And everything you requested. Does this satisfy you?”

Zurie stuffed the crystalized orb and potion vial into her robes. “Plenty. I believe this satisfies our contract.” She took a red diamond from her robe and handed it to Lynn. “Your payment.”

Lynn smiled. “The Heart of Aphrodite. I’m surprised you would part with something worth so much.”

“Its value is meaningless to me,” said Zurie. “I have no interest in human’s monetary system. Not when I can take what I want.”

Bianca clenched her fits. She thought the payment would’ve had something of greater value, not money. She stepped away from the crates with Chris warning her to come back, but she had no intention of returning. She wanted to go after her mother.

Bianca flicked her wrist to create an energy ball. “This is what you want, mother! A stupid diamond!” Bianca tossed the energy ball but missed Lynn. “Money! Is that all that matters to you?” She created another energy ball as the brothers joined her.

Lynn gasped as she didn’t expect to see Bianca here, especially with the brothers. However, Zurie would chuckle from the sight. Lynn stuffed the diamond into her pocket as she ordered the other Phoenixes to surround them. “You’d betray us, Bianca!”

“This isn’t betrayal, mother,” said Bianca. “This is anger. You warned me that the family is in danger.” 

“We are!” said Lynn. “This is Mistress Zurie. The Seer of Hell.”

“That’s me.” Zurie grabbed the cages. “However, I got what I wanted, so I have no interest in seeing these events live. Not when I already know the outcome.”

The Phoenixes stepped closer to the brothers. They braced themselves for a fight when Joey noticed Zurie. A memory flashed across his mind as he recalled seeing her before. It was over a year ago, not long before his active powers got unsealed. He remembered going to pick up some potion supplies with Piper when a woman that looked like Zurie offered him a tea sample.

Joey shook his head. “You! I remember you.”

Zurie smirked. “Do you now, little witch? Impressive memory. And yet, you don’t even have the decency to thank me.”

“Thank you?” said Joey. “For what?”

“Unbinding your powers, of course.” Zurie chuckled. “Come now. Did you really think your powers unbound themselves on their own? Your powers don’t even come closer to your brothers. You needed the push.” Zurie flipped her hair over her shoulder. “And I’ve pushed you all to this point. Charmed Ones. So young. So stupid. You don’t even know how your actions have served the greater evil.” 

Flames spread across Zurie’s body as she prepared to make her exit. “Until next time, Charmed Ones. Keep making my life easier.” The flames swallowed Zurie’s as her laugh echoed across Alcatraz before she finally disappeared. 

With Zurie gone, Lynn could breathe a sigh of relief. The immediate danger to her family no longer had any interest in them. She could focus on the new problem. She flicked her wrist with an energy ball forming. “You’re lucky that turned out well for us, Bianca. Your stupidity almost got us killed.”

“You mean your greed!” Bianca almost lunged after Lynn when Chris got between them. 

Lynn groaned when she saw how close Chris got to Bianca. “Oh, honey. Really? You’ve fallen for a Charmed One.”

Bianca glared. “Like you’re one to judge.”

Lynn rolled her eyes. “Since you forgot your place, Bianca, it’s my responsibility to put you there.” She looked to her comrades. “Kill the boys. I’ll deal with Bianca.” The Phoenixes shimmered to ambush the brothers. Meanwhile, Bianca didn’t hesitate to charge after Lynn.

Chris didn’t have the chance to stop Bianca when a burly Phoenix appeared in front of him. Chris stepped back to avoid an athame to the throat. He squinted his eyes to push the Phoenix away before reaching into his pocket for a vanquishing potion. The Phoenix tossed an energy ball that Chris managed to orb back. With the Phoenix stunned, Chris threw the potion to vanquish him, which consumed the Phoenix in flames.

A pale-faced Phoenix went after Wyatt. Wyatt avoided an energy ball to face with the flick of his hands, blasting the energy ball into nothing. Wyatt flicked his hands again to blast the Phoenix to a nearby column. Wyatt tried blasting the Phoenix again only for the Phoenix to shimmer away. 

Wyatt felt a spike in energy, which made him shout, “Excalibur!” Orbs gathered in Wyatt’s hand as Excalibur materialized. He dropped to a knee and twisted the blade behind him when the Phoenix reappeared. Excalibur ripped the Phoenix’s stomach open, prompting flames to swallow the Phoenix and leaving behind only a pile of ash. 

Meanwhile, Joey blocked a slender Phoenix’s punch. Without a combat power, Joey had to take things hand-to-hand, which gave the Phoenix an advantage. The advantage moved at blinding speed that Joey’s witch senses were the only thing keeping him alive. Joey managed to avoid a few of the hits when he got an elbow to the stomach. Joey nearly lost his lunch, which made the Phoenix get cocky.

The Phoenix conjured an athame and moved to stab Joey only for Joey to grab his arm. Joey kicked the Phoenix’s knee then grabbed the athame, plunging it into the Phoenix’s chest. Fire spread across his body with nothing remaining of him, leaving Joey the victor.

As for the fight between Bianca and Lynn, it proved a far more evenly matched fight. Bianca and Lynn attack with blinding speed as they nearly stabbed each other multiple times only for the other to block the attack. Bianca spun out of Lynn’s range before tossing an energy ball at her. Lynn stumbled from the blast, but it didn’t vanquish her. She returned the favor with an energy ball that hit Bianca’s shoulder. 

Bianca fell to one knee. She heaved while Lynn conjured an athame. “Is a diamond really worth killing your daughter over, mother?”

Lynn sighed. “It didn’t have to turn out like this, Bianca. You only had to follow orders.” Lynn lunged to stab Bianca only to feel something restraining her arm. She looked over her shoulder to see Chris holding his hand to restrain her telekinetically. “Damn you, Charmed Ones.”

“Damn you, mother.” Bianca shoved her fist into Lynn’s chest. A glowing portal emerged as Bianca stripped Lynn’s powers. Bianca pulled her fist out of Lynn’s chest, watching as Lynn fell to the ground. “You manipulated me for far too long. It’s time I make some decisions on my own.”

Lynn held onto her stomach. “Bianca. Please. Not this.”

Bianca took one of the vanquishing potions that the brothers brewed out from her pocket. She grazed her thumb against the glass vial. “You wanted me to be a killer, and I got away from you. Then, you dragged into this mess. This is the only way I’ll ever be free of you. To chart my own destiny. “

“Bianca,” whispered Lynn.

“Goodbye, mother. May the gods have more mercy for you then I do.” Bianca tossed the vanquishing potion at Lynn. Flames swallowed Lynn as she was reduced to nothing. All that remained was the Heart of Aphrodite, which Bianca took for herself.

*~*

Returning to the manor, Chris handed a cup of tea to Bianca as they sat at the dining room table with his family. Piper and Leo didn’t say much as Wyatt filled them in on the fight. Meanwhile, Joey flipped the pages of the Book of Shadows for any reference to Zurie. However, he had no luck in identifying her.

Joey closed the book. “No entry on Zurie. That means no one in the family faced her before.”

Leo nodded. “And I can’t recall hearing her name before when I was an Elder. That means she’s either flew under the demonic radar or she’s a new player. Either way, she’s dangerous.”

Piper folded her arms over her chest. “If Zurie manipulated you into becoming the Charmed Ones, then that means we’re all falling for her tricks. Seers. This is reminding me of The Seer all over again.”

“Hopefully,” said Wyatt, “it won’t get that intense.”

Chris agreed. He looked at Bianca to see she avoided touching her tea. He frowned as he could see that Lynn’s death likely affected her despite the claims otherwise. “How are you holding up?”

Bianca smiled. “Fine. But I know that there’s trouble brewing.” She took the diamond from her pocket. “This was valuable enough to my mother that she risked everything for it, which worries me. She claimed it financially valuable, but knowing my mother, it probably has some mystical value too.” She handed the diamond to Chris. “You keep it. If it helps you, then great. But if nothing else, I can make sure no one else in my family gets it.”

Chris accepted the diamond. “You make it sound like you’re not going to be around,” he whispered. Bianca went silent which he saw as the answer. “You’re not? Are you leaving?”

The table fell silent as everyone started to leave for the kitchen, leaving Chris and Bianca alone.

Bianca frowned. “There’s a power vacuum now for my family. And, it won’t take long before they find out I killed my mom and aligned with the Charmed Ones. My family is used to violent power grabs, but this is different. They won’t like that. I have to leave.”

“Why?” Chris grabbed her hands. “I can protect you. Um. We can protect you. We’re the Charmed Ones.”

Those words gave Bianca more faith than she deserved. She admired Chris’s devotion, which is why it hurt her to reject him. “I have to do this alone. I have to get my family off my tail. Either by convincing them I’m not worth the trouble or taking over myself.”

“But.” Chris didn’t finish his sentence. Bianca kissed him, forcing his silence. He leaned closer to deepen the kiss, but Bianca pulled away.

Bianca got up from the chair with Chris following. She brushed aside a tear before smiling at him. “Maybe if we’re lucky, our paths will cross again,” she whispered. “Until then, be good, Chris.” She kissed him once more.

Chris held onto Bianca’s waist. He pulled her close, trying not to let her go, but she wouldn’t stay for long. He stumbled forward as Bianca’s body faded as she shimmered out from the manor. He wanted to chase after her, but she knew that he wouldn’t stand a chance. Seeing her go like this proved painful enough for his heart. 

Footsteps came from behind Chris. He held back tears when he felt arms coming from behind him. A tiny part of his brain hoped for Bianca, but he recognized the cologne scents that Wyatt and Joey felt. He looked over his shoulder to see Joey squeezing him while Wyatt started to hug him too.

Chris smiled. If nothing else, he could count on his brothers for being there for him.


	11. Venomous Brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! Sorry the update came a bit later. I finished up my Kingdom Hearts fic last week and got busy preparing for a move that I didn't have much time to write. And a quick head's up that week's update might be a little late too since I'm moving to my new place Wednesday. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

The Fall semester ended. Chris adjusted his suit tie as he entered the art gallery. Chris’s photography professors selected the photos that Chris took with Bianca for the “Body Image” exhibit. Chris could feel his stomach tightening into knots since he only saw the pictures on a computer screen and didn’t know how the public would react. It only got worse since Raja followed Mira and Wyatt on Instagram, so naturally, she invited them to the exhibit.

And, of course, Wyatt would fan the flames more. He invited Hank and Jessica too. Luckily for Chris, the bandmates couldn’t join since they were out working. 

Chris wandered the exhibit to find his photos. The photos got blown into a 16x20, which left Chris speechless when he saw them for the first time. He couldn’t deny that Bianca did a stunning job taking the pictures. He thought he looked amazing, but he also needed to confront the fact that his friends and family would see these photos. 

It only made him miss Bianca more. 

“Glad that I recommended the thong now?” Wyatt strolled behind Chris, looking equally as dapper in his suit. He had a glass of sparkling cider since he forgot his fake ID. “You can’t tell you’re wearing anything. I know some guys who would pay for these photos if you’re interested.”

Chris grabbed the sparkling cider and took a sip only to realize it didn’t have alcohol. He gulped. “Fuck me. I should’ve taken dad’s flask.”

“I got you, bro.” Hank joined them with Jessica, Mira, and Raja. He passed a steel flask to Chris, which he filled with rum. Chris took a long sip while they admired the artwork.

Jessica curled her lips. “You know, I can see this working as an album cover. How much for a print of that magical booty?” She raised her eyebrows. She kept the magic-part subtle since Mira and Raja didn’t know the family secret. 

Chris groaned. 

“Wow.” Raja stared at the photo for a moment longer before turning to look at Chris’s butt. “You’re packing a bigger booty than I thought. Not quite bubble material, but still a respectable size.”

Mira chuckled. “Well, to think we made it through five years without nudity. Interesting way to break the streak.”

“You mean _streak_!” Wyatt laughed, while Chris groaned more. 

Chris took another swig from the flask before Hank reclaimed it. The only good thing about tonight was that the entire family wasn’t here. He only had to worry about these jokers tormenting him. “Why did I let Bianca talk me into this photoshoot?

“Because you’re straight and boobs.” Raja brushed her curls. “Speaking of Bianca, have you heard from her lately? How she coping?”

After Bianca disappeared, Chris told Raja that Bianca left because her mother died, and she needed time to grieve. He didn’t tell a total lie. Bianca did leave because of her mom’s death, but it wasn’t to grieve but to deal with her other relatives. His lie gave Bianca all the cover that she needed to keep people from harassing her as she worked on this mission.

“She’s fine,” said Chris. “At least, I think so. I haven’t heard from her in a while either.” Raja didn’t bring it up further.

Jessica bumped Chris’s arm. “I was serious. I could see these photos working for Dying Liberty’s next EP.”

Wyatt started choking on his sparkling. “Excuse me! I’m not putting my little brother’s ass on our EP!”

“Okay. Then, we can use yours,” said Jessica. “Oh! We can make it very Red Hot Chili Peppers!”

Raja smiled. “I’ve seen the OnlyFans that would make for an interesting cover.”

Wyatt winked at Raja. “Thank you for the subscription.” He glanced at Jessica. “And, there’s no way we’re doing that.”

Chris patted Wyatt’s back. He saw his opportunity for revenge. “Aw, why not, Wyatt? Your booty is all over the Internet. You can be like Lenny Kravitz.”

“Great idea!” Jessica’s eyes had a twinkle in them. “We could market the band like these sexy rockers! The himbos with hearts of gold!”

Hank laughed hard, shocking everyone around them. “Not himbos!”

*~*

A dozen demons shimmered into a mausoleum, making the place feel awfully crowded. They glared at each other since they lacked the slightest bit of camaraderie. 

A blurry, male demon bumped into a lean, male demon. “Who invited this wimp?”

The leaner demon pushed back. “Fuck you, Durka! You’re not the only bounty hunter in this region.”

“But I am the best!”

The other demons laughed. Durka growled, not that they cared. Durka grabbed a curved dagger from his back pocket. Soon, they drew weapons or manifested fireballs and energy balls. The hostility hung heavy in the air.

A gathering of demonic bounty hunters always resulted in bloodshed and dead demons.

Dark orbs gathered from the corner of the mausoleum. A handsome, pale-skinned Darklighter appeared with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a yawn escaping his mouth. His dark hair swayed from the motions to expose his sharp cheekbones. 

The Darklighter ignored the bounty hunter’s squabbling. He reached for the parchment in the pocket of his leather before slamming it onto the tomb. His actions distracted the bounty hunters. They started glaring at him, but he still showed no interest in them. 

“What the fuck is a Darklighter doing here?” asked a red-headed female. 

The Darklighter smirked. “Showing you the mark. Or did you forget that your benefactor told you to meet here to get the information?”

“We didn’t forget,” said Durka. 

A dark-skinned, female demon nodded. She reached for the parchment. “A human? Why would you need a dozen of us to kill a single human?”

The Darklighter clicked his tongue. “Our employer anticipates trouble. She is aware that the new Charmed Ones are likely to interfere since they operate out of this city.”

Silence filled the mausoleum. The bounty hunters glanced at each other. They started believing that they bit more then they could chew with this contract. They received no notice that they would have to fight the Charmed Ones, possibly.

The leaner demon shook his head. “Fuck this! We want triple the pay if we’re facing the Charmed Ones!” The demons cheered. They wouldn’t risk their lives for anything less than triple the usual rate.

The Darklighter shrugged. “Deal. I’m sure Lamia would have no trouble fulfilling that payment to whichever of you succeeds in killing the target.”

Durka squinted his eyes. “Lamia? The vampire queen? She’s the one who hired us.”

“Yup! All to kill a human and retrieve the relic that he guards.” The Darklighter waved his hand. He grew bored with the small talk. “Anything else? I got other things to do with my time.”

“Why would a Darklighter work for a vampire queen?” asked the dark-skinned demon. “And why can’t Lamia kill this human on her own? Or send her vampires?”

The Darklighter groaned. He wanted this over, but the demons kept dragging things. “Daylight. Duh. The mark is easier to kill when the sun is out, which means vampires can’t attack. Now, I’m working with Lamia because our interests align. That’s all you need to know.” The Darklighter started to leave only for Durka to call him out again, demanding to know his name. The Darklighter rolled his eyes. “Rennek. Now, if there’s nothing else, I’m leaving to take a nap.”

Dark orbs covered Rennek’s body as he orbed from the mausoleum. He left the bounty hunters to go after Lamia’s mark. 

*~*

At school, Joey clicked away at the library’s keyboard to do research for a history paper. He sat with Ari, Hunter, and Rahul during their lunch period. They didn’t want to do the homework at home, so they tried to cram what they could during school. 

Their history papers required that they write a biographical essay on a historical figure. Joey wanted to make his paper as queer as possible. He chose to write on Stormé DeLarverie, a butch lesbian and someone that fought the police during the Stonewall Inn Riots. He took down some more notes on her as he saw that she likely threw the first punch against the police. 

Joey added the website link to his growing list. He glanced from his monitor to see the others' projects. Ari had her eyes on Beyoncé, Hunter picked Lady Gaga, and Rahul picked someone named Karan Johar.

“Who’s that?” asked Joey.

Rahul jumped a little from hearing Joey’s voice. It took him a second to realize that Joey asked him about the project. “Karan Johar? He’s a Bollywood director.”

“Cool!” Ari peaked over Rahul’s shoulder.

“But is he Gaga cool?” asked Hunter.

“I think so,” said Rahul. “He’s pretty private about his sexuality, but he’s made some good films.”

“Maybe we could watch some?” Joey added another link on Stormé to his list. “We could do a movie night.”

“At your place!” Ari’s eyes widened. She grabbed onto Rahul’s hand. “Have you been to Joey’s house yet? It’s the cutest Victorian house ever! Oh! And his mom is this badass chef. She can make you like anything, and it’ll taste amazing!”

Rahul chuckled. “No. I guess I’m not cool enough for an invite.”

Joey frowned. He took the hint. “Alright. How about a movie night this weekend? I’ll ask my parents if that’s okay.”

“Yay!” They spoke a little too loudly, prompting the librarians to tell them to be quiet.

*~*

That night’s performance went better than the last few gigs. Dying Liberty got solid applause as everyone at RashBurn thought they did good. 

Wyatt held onto his guitar’s neck and cleared the stage. He looked like a sweaty mess, but the applause kept him motivated to keep going. He kept smiling backstage with the next band taking the stage. The other band got a better reception from the crowd, but he didn’t care.

“Finally!” Wyatt cheered. “It looks like things are turning around for us.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. This sore throat is worth it.” He started to cough. He reached for his water bottle. “Or not.”

Gordon chuckled as he dropped onto a couch. He massaged his sore hands and wrists after spending an hour banging away on the drums. “We might stand a chance at getting somewhere. What next? Should we register for Coachella?”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, Gordo.” Wyatt crashed onto the couch with Gordon. “We should aim for something smaller first.”

“Fair.”

Vince sighed. He ran a hand across his soaked forehead. “Actually, we might want to put a brake on those plans.”

They raised their eyebrows. They gave confused grunts since Vince’s comment came out from nowhere.

Vince closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. He bit his lip for a moment because he didn’t know how to break the news to them. “It’s my folks,” he said calmly. “Actually, your folks too.” He sighed again. They yelled at him to continue since the confusion and suspense left them anxious. “We have a countdown to make some major leaps before my folks cut me off.”

“What?”

Vince nodded. “My parents are giving us three years to make this band work. They weren’t down with the idea of me following music instead of taking a serious career path. So, if we don’t make it somewhere, then I get cut off.”

Gordon shook his head. “There’s no way we can afford living in the city without your parents’ help. And none of our parents would help us since they hate the band too.”

“Fuck!” Steve rubbed his throat. “Everyone is rooting against us.”

Wyatt glared at the dirty, wood floor. “You said our folks too. What do you mean by that?”

“My parents talked to yours, Gordo, and Steve’s parents too. They all agreed to this countdown.” Vince sighed. “None of us make enough to survive. I’ll have to move back home and work for my parents’ full-time.” And three-years wasn’t enough for them to build their finances to afford San Francisco. Gordon still worked from his family’s restaurant, Steve had a mediocre retail job, and Wyatt’s mechanic work and amateur porn career couldn’t cover their expenses.

Wyatt clenched his fists. He wanted to scream. He tried to say something, but he knew that he couldn't do anything right now. He hated that they needed to hear this news tonight after such a high from their performance. 

And it made it harder to know that his parents didn’t have faith in him either.

*~*

That weekend meant more work for the weary. 

It brought immense heartache, but it had to happen eventually. Piper sold P3 to another investor who wanted to revamp the image of the club. Since business picked up Halliwells’, it didn’t make sense to keep the club too. Luckily, the new owner wanted to keep most of the stuff, so it meant that they didn’t have to clear out everything.

Still, clearing out P3 took far more work than they expected. Leo worked to take down the sign, while Chris and Joey cleared out the boxes from Piper and the manager’s office.

Piper smiled as she moved behind the bar to grab the last of the liquor. “Thanks for the help, boys.”

“Uh, huh.” Chris and Joey climbed upstairs to take the boxes to the car.

Piper shook her head. She hummed to herself as she loaded the liquor box. She knew this likely would be the last time she’d ever come to P3 as she had no intention on returning when the club reopened. It made her cry as she thought of the decades of memories that the place had that went back to Prue.

Piper sighed. She grabbed the box when she felt a spike in magic. She looked over her shoulder to catch Wyatt orbing. “Hey, Wyatt! Perfect timing. Can you help me with this box.”

Wyatt crossed his arms. “So, you sided against me?”

“What?” Piper chuckled. “What are you talking about?”

“Vinny told me about the arrangement you made with his parents.” Wyatt took a deep breath. He worked hard to contain his anger, but it boiled to the surface. “I get that you and dad hate the band. And you think I’m wasting my life on music.”

“I don’t think that,” Piper said, trying to interrupt.

Wyatt ignored Piper’s words. His voice picked up in volume. “Do you have any idea how much it hurts to know that your parents’ don’t believe in you?”

The yelling got louder. It attracted attention from outside. Leo, Chris, and Joey came downstairs to catch the tail end of the fight.

“We have faith in you, Wyatt,” said Piper, “but you can’t expect Vinny’s parents to bankroll you forever. They would have to cut you off at some point. And we can’t afford to help since we have to help Chris and Joey with college.”

“Of course.” Wyatt shook his head. “College.”

Piper glared. “Don’t start! We paid for your school too. And we offered to pay for college, but you didn’t want to go, remember? We supported you too.” Her voice picked up too. Leo came around the bar, wrapping his arms around her to keep her from going too far.

Chris and Joey kept their distance as they didn’t know how this argument would turn out.

“Support? You’ve held me hostage to do what you want!” said Wyatt. “If you supported me, then why haven’t you come to any of my shows? Or even asked how the band’s doing? You never had faith in us! You’re a bad parent! Because you don’t know how to have faith in your kids since your mom died, and your dad abandoned you!” The words left Wyatt’s mouth before he knew it. Tears welled up in Piper’s eyes.

“Holy shit!” Joey covered his mouth, and his eyes widened. He couldn’t believe that Wyatt would dare to go that far.

Leo raised a finger. “Wyatt! That is out of line!”

Chris shook his head as Wyatt stuttered an apology only for Chris to cut Wyatt off. “You’re such a dick, Wyatt!” Chris’s anger burst forth since he thought Wyatt went too far. And in doing so, Chris lost control of his words too. “You don’t even realize all the shit that mom and dad let you get away with so you don’t turn evil!” Chris covered his mouth since he didn’t expect to go that far, either. However, Wyatt frustrated Chris, pushing him over the edge for attacking Piper like he did.

“What!” Wyatt turned to Chris. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Piper brushed her tears. She swallowed the sting of Wyatt’s words. “The alternate future,” she said softly. “The one that the other Chris came from. He came back in time to stop Gideon from trying to kill you because the trauma would turn you evil.”

Wyatt’s jaw dropped. For a moment, he forgot his anger for a moment and focused on the outrage that a future like that could possibly exist. He didn’t deny it. He only had to look to the awful things he just said to realize a version of himself could go evil. 

Orbs gathered with Brody materializing. He noticed something appeared off since he had no idea what happened moments before he got there. He glanced at Joey, who muttered that he’d explain later. 

Brody nodded. “Um...there’s trouble that requires a Charmed intervention. Bounty hunters are going after an innocent. The Elders want you to save him before it’s too late.”

“Fine.” Wyatt broke from his trance as he went over to Brody. “Let’s go.”

Chris ignored how Wyatt left him feeling. He grabbed Joey’s hand before they had any protests. They would follow Brody’s orb trail as they left P3.

Piper leaned over the bartop, burying her face in her hands. She started crying, while Leo leaned over to hug her. “I fucked up so bad.” She spoke while sobbing. “Why didn’t we just talk to Wyatt? Why did we keep everything a secret?”

“Hey.” Leo pulled Piper into his arms, holding her close as she cried against his chest. “We did what we felt best. Wyatt’s still a kid. He isn’t going to see that. But it doesn’t forgive what he said to you. You’re not a bad parent.”

Piper kept crying. She knew that always acted in the boys’ best interests, but Wyatt still poked at a delicate spot. She didn’t know how to respond or how to shield her from the hate that Wyatt threw. She didn’t know how she’d get over it.

*~*

Brody led the brothers to an abandoned department store in the Mission District. They wandered into the dark building with the only lights coming from the windows near the front of the store. Wyatt and Chris wouldn’t utter a word after the pettiness of the fight. Joey bombarded Brody with questions since they didn’t have much time to speak before leaving P3.

Brody whispered so that the demons didn’t overhear them. “Another Whitelighter died, but under less mysterious circumstances than with the Phoenixes. The Whitelighter watched a human that guarded the Amulet of Osiris.”

Joey nodded. “Okay, care to explain what that does?”

“Osiris is the Egyptian God of Death and Rebirth. Under certain circumstances, the amulet carries the power to resurrect the dead.”

“That’s bad news.” Chris broke his silence. “I can see why the Elders wouldn’t want demons to get their hands on it. And why the demons want it.”

Brody nodded. “So, if you can hold off the demons, then I can get the amulet’s protector away from here. I’ll take him to the manor for protection.”

“Right.” Wyatt turned to Chris and Joey. He ignored the revelation of an alternate reality version of himself going evil and the awful things he said to Piper. He focused instead on their main priority. “We can handle this, right? Chris and I can take the lead. Joey, you make sure that the innocent is safe.”

“Okay.” 

They stuck close as they moved to the front of the store. They wandered down the aisles while doing all that they could not to make much noise. They could hear the snickering of the bounty hunters and the panicked cries of someone. 

Bathed in the sunlight from the windows, a brown-skinned, middle-aged man covered his bleeding face. From his position, the brothers and Brody could see an amulet dangling around his neck. The Amulet of Osiris bore a crook and flail forged from obsidian. Despite not appearing impressive, they could still sense the power that it contained. 

Durka kicked at the man’s ribs with the other demons laughing. Wyatt counted six bounty hunters but knew that it was possible that more could show up to the party. “Hand it over the amulet.” Durka flicked his wrist to conjure a fireball. “Or else we make this really painful.”

The man shook his head. “Never!” He spat blood. “You’re not worthy.”

A red-headed, female demon rolled her eyes. “Screw it!” She flicked her wrist to conjure an electrical whip. She cracked the whip and moved to strike the man.

“Whip!” Wyatt orbed the whip from the demon’s hand and struck her with it. The electricity and his magic rippled across her body, vanquishing her with a single blow. 

The demons looked behind them. Their eyes lit up as the hazardous situation that Rennek warned them of came true. “Charmed Ones!”

Durka tossed his fireball. Chris swung his hand. The telekinetic blast redirected the fireball to the leaner bounty hunter that argued with Durka. The demon howled as he reduced to ash.

The remaining demons chased them, abandoning the man. Wyatt faced Durka and a bronze-skinned male demon. Chris faced the dark-skinned, female demon. Meanwhile, Joey took on a curly-haired female demon. The distraction gave Brody the time that he needed to reach the amulet’s protector to orb him to the manor.

Joey grappled the demon to the ground. He noticed the demon reaching for an athame but took it from her. He released the demon as he stabbed her in the heart. 

Chris blocked a punch from his demon. He recovered quickly and kicked her chest. She stumbled into a display case. She tossed a fireball at him, but her daze left her with poor aim. He had no trouble orbing the fireball back at her, vanquishing her and leaving some scorch marks on the case.

Wyatt avoided the bronze-skinned demon’s punch when Durka struck his back. Wyatt stumbled but got back at it. He squinted his eyes and telekinetically hurled Durka towards some shelves. The bronze-skinned demon charged at Wyatt as he flicked his fingers. An explosive blast struck the demon, vanquishing it like the others.

Durka groaned as he glared at them. “Triple the pay wasn’t enough.”

Wyatt cracked his knuckles. “I take it someone paid you to attack that man. Why?”

“We’re bounty hunters. We don’t ask questions.” 

“They’re good demons.” 

They looked back to fight Rennek arriving with the other six bounty hunters. Their presence made Durka grin. The numbers proved against the brothers as they considered making a retreat.

A dark, smoke cloud gathered over Rennek’s hand. He summoned a crossbow, which they recognized as belonging to a Darklighter. “ _The new and improved Charmed Ones_.” Rennek chuckled. “Oh, how I’m going to enjoy killing you.” He shot the crossbow before they could react. An arrow sailed across the store and struck Chris’s shoulder.

Chris fell to the ground. The Darklighter poison rapidly attacked Chris’s body as it left him unable to do much. Joey rushed to Chris’s side, while Wyatt threw up his barrier.

Rennek chuckled. “Delicious. The mark got away, but at least I got the chance to kill Leo’s sons.”

Wyatt squinted his eyes. He kept his hands raised to maintain the force field. “You know our dad?”

“We go way back. I’m Rennek. And I had the pleasure of killing Leo’s first charge. Then, we spent decades going after each other. He stopped me from killing innocents. I killed his innocents. Then, he had to go and become mortal. It’s no fun killing mortals, but to think I can kill his half-Whitelighter sons. This is a real prize.”

Joey pushed the arrow from Chris’s shoulder. It would hurt like hell for Chris, and Joey kept apologizing for the pain. He held onto the blood-stained, poison arrow as he stared at Chris’s sweaty forehead. “Wyatt! We need to get out of here.” 

“Right!” Wyatt stepped forward. He projected the force field outward to repel Rennek and the demons. The blast sent them stumbling, which gave him the opening that he needed.

Wyatt grabbed onto Chris and Joey to orb them to the manor.

Rennek smirked. He recovered from the blast before pointing towards Durka and a frizzy-haired demon. “You and you. Come with me. We got some Charmed Ones to kill.”

*~*

At the manor, Wyatt and Joey laid Chris onto a couch. Brody checked on Chris’s pulse. Meanwhile, the man that they saved stared at them with wide eyes. Brody already healed him of his injuries so he could move without pain.

“Is this my fault?” said the man. “I...I didn’t mean to drag you into this.”

Joey shook his head. “No. This is on the demons.” He held his hand out. “I’m Joey.”

“Chike.” He sighed as he reached for the amulet. “I knew this thing would cause me trouble eventually. No one’s targeted my family for generations. It was only a matter of time before the demons decided to come after us. I’m glad that the Charmed Ones got to me on time.”

“That’s what we’re good for.” Joey looked to notice Wyatt not doing anything. On second glance, Joey saw Wyatt hold his hands over Chris’s chest, but no healing light arose. “Wyatt? What’s going on with your powers?”

Wyatt shook his head. Tears trickled down his face as he looked at Chris’s pained face. “I...I don’t know. I can’t heal him.”

“What do you mean, you can’t heal him!” screamed Joey. “He’s our brother!”

“Let me.” Brody traded places with Wyatt. However, when Brody went to heal, they heard the sound of a crossbow firing. An arrow struck Brody’s back, inflicting him with the same poison that coursed throughout Chris’s body.

Joey guarded Chike, not that it would do much good. Chike stood almost two-feet taller than Joey. 

Wyatt jumped to his feet when they saw Rennek, Durka, and another demon. Rennek prepared to load his crossbow with another arrow to attack Wyatt. Joey saw Rennek’s next attack coming, so he grabbed a mug from the table and threw it at Rennek’s face. The mug shattered and left Rennek dazed. 

Durka and the other demon tried to attack Chike, but Wyatt blasted them. Durka slammed into the wall, while the other demon got vanquished. An athame fell from the demon’s ash remains, which Joey grabbed. He stabbed Durka with the athame to finish off what Wyatt started. Durka’s body vanished into a puff of smoke. 

Rennek loaded his crossbow again. Wyatt projected his force field to cover Brody, Chris, and Chike. Rennek huffed as he turned the crossbow onto Joey. “You didn’t protect everyone.”

“I don’t have Whitelighter blood.” Joey stuck his tongue out. He held the athame to his face. “Care to test me? I might be small, but you pissed me off when you poisoned my brother and my Whitelighter.”

Rennek shook his head. His crossbow vanished into a puff of smoke. “Next time, Charmed Ones.” He vanished in dark orbs. 

Wyatt retracted the barrier. He almost touched the arrow in Brody when Joey smacked his hand. Joey removed this arrow too since he was the only one who could come into contact with a Darklighter’s poison without it hurting him. 

Joey tossed the arrow to the floor. He started crying as he could see how bad things looked for Chris and Brody. “Can you heal them?” he snarled.

Wyatt tried again, but no healing light came. “I can’t.”

“Useless,” whispered Joey. “Aunt Paige! Paige!” Joey screamed Paige’s name once more before looking over his shoulder at Wyatt. His eyes quickly became red from the crying. 

Wyatt felt his heart sink. He never saw Joey look at him with such hate before. It didn’t take much for him to understand why Joey had that look. He blamed himself too. Their powers came from their emotions, even their Whitelighter powers. The way that Wyatt fought with Piper and Leo then Chris calling him out, it left Wyatt vulnerable. He lost faith in himself.

Wyatt orbed from the manor as Paige arrived. Paige almost questioned why Wyatt left when she saw Chris and Brody. She rushed over to heal them before the poison could do any more damage.

*~*

Luckily, Paige proved herself a real lifesaver. She healed Chris and Bordy before the poison could do irreparable harm. Chris and Brody rested on the sofas. 

Piper and Leo already returned from P3 to learn what happened. Piper felt even more guilty before about how she handled things with Wyatt. Even as she knew that Wyatt acted out of line, it didn’t help that she set him up for that outburst. And it nearly killed Chris and Brody.

Not that Joey would leave Wyatt off the hook. He muttered a string of insults since Wyatt’s ego is what left them vulnerable. He would’ve gone further in calling Wyatt out, but it did no good since Wyatt wasn’t even in the manor.

Meanwhile, Joey went to the kitchen to scrub his hands clean of Rennek’s poison after disposing of the arrow. He didn’t want to risk accidentally poisoning Brody or Chris for being careless. He started to dry his hands when he saw Chike coming into the kitchen. 

“Hey.” Joey smirked. “How you feeling?”

“Better now that your aunt healed them. They didn’t die because of me.” Chike sighed. He reached for the amulet and removed it from his neck. He handed it to Joey. “You should take the amulet. I know you’re having some trouble with your brother, but the amulet is still safer in your hands than mine. The Charmed Ones are better equipped at protecting Osiris’s gift from falling into the wrong hands.”

Joey nodded. He slid the amulet into his pocket as he led Chike back into the sunroom with everyone else.

In the process, Paige and Brody got filled in on everything that happened. The events proved far more dramatic than they expected to hear.

Paige curled her lips. “Wow! That reminds me of the stuff that I said to my parents.”

Brody nodded as he tried to sit up from the sofa. However, he still suffered from the burns of the poison, which felt more like acid reflux at this point. “Same here.” 

Chris grabbed onto a blanket and curled into it. “That doesn’t make up for what Wyatt said. He chose to be a dick. Fuck him!”

“And you chose to tell him his future,” said Piper. Chris shrugged it off since he did warn her that they would need to tell Wyatt eventually.

Leo didn’t want to rehash that argument. He instead focused on the bigger problem, aside from their relationship with Wyatt and his powers. “Rennek.” Leo shook his head. “I knew that Rennek would come back to bite me. I just didn’t think you’d have to pay the price for it.”

Chris groaned. 

Joey sat on the sofa’s armrest. “Anything we should know about Rennek before we take him on again? Like him organizing a group of bounty hunters to get the Amulet of Osiris.”

“Only that he is far more clever than any Darklighter that I’ve crossed paths with.”

Piper shuddered. “And that’s saying something.”

Leo continued. “Demons generally don’t respect Darklighters, so that part is odd. I’d imagine that Rennek is working with another demon to get the amulet. The purpose of that and his partner is something you’d have to figure out.

Joey smacked his hands onto his thighs. “Okay! Then, we need a strategy. And probably a Power of Three spell to make sure that Rennek stays dead.” He glanced at Chris. While Chris didn’t pour sweat, he still didn’t look back to his normal self. “You look like crap.”

Chris moaned. “I feel like it!”

Chike shook his head. “I’d hate to intrude more than I already have, but I think I should go now. Joey has the amulet, so the bounty hunters shouldn’t come after me, right?”

Brody nodded as he managed to force up this time. “We have what they want. I’m sure even the Elders would approve of the amulet going to the Charmed Ones. I’ll get you home.” Brody could sit up, but he couldn’t quite get on his feet yet. He felt too sharp of a pain that forced him back onto the sofa.

“I got him.” Paige walked over to Chike. “I’ll make sure he gets home safe and is in a demon-free house.”

“Thanks, Paige.” Brody groaned as he went back to resting on the sofa. The orbs gathered as Paige took Chike home. 

Piper rubbed her forehead. She couldn’t see how to mend things with Wyatt or if her boys would put themselves together anytime soon. But knowing what she knew, unless they got on better terms, their Power of Three was in danger.

And the little that Leo told her of Rennek, she feared that someone like Rennek knew that. And someone like Rennek would take advantage of that vulnerability.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooop. Looks like we're about to see how delicate their brotherhood is.
> 
> Also, don't worry about this Wyatt going evil. That isn't happening. But that doesn't mean that Evil Wyatt won't show up in future chapters.
> 
> And, yes, Wyatt's argument with Piper was petty. He's nineteen. Nineteen years have petty fights with their parents. I based the fight with the petty shit that my siblings and I had with our parents.


	12. Broken Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! So I managed to finish the chapter within my usual schedule. Yay! Now, I can focus (and cry) over moving. Then, I can focus on preparing for the class I'm teaching in the fall. So much work ahead of me. 
> 
> Make my day by leaving behind some kudos and comments!

Monday morning, Joey rushed down the staircase for breakfast. His backpack dangled from his shoulder while he checked his Instagram feed. He didn’t think about much else even as he had the Amulet of Osiris dangling around his neck.

“Morning.” Joey entered the fridge and went straight to the fridge. He didn’t give Piper and Leo a second glance as he grabbed the orange juice carton. “Oh. Everyone said that they had a great time, and thank you for letting them crash for a movie night.” 

Piper held onto her coffee mug as she stood near the stove. A pan of scrambled eggs sizzled that she took off the hot burner. “Glad they had fun.” She started to fix their plates while leaving enough for Chris, who snoozed away in his bedroom.

Leo grabbed their plates and took them to the table. “Have you heard from your brother?”

“Nope.” Joey kept it blunt. He stabbed the eggs and avoided their gaze. 

Wyatt pissed them off, which would make it difficult for them to easily forget last week. Joey could deal with Wyatt being upset about Piper and Leo’s decision to put the band on a countdown and keep Wyatt’s potential dark future a secret. Joey could empathize with all that anger, but he couldn’t overlook the awful things Wyatt said. And since Wyatt’s anger affected his powers to the point that it nearly killed Chris and Brody, Joey didn’t see the reason to bend over backward to make amends. Wyatt would need to make that first step.

Joey sipped his orange juice. He gave himself a moment to think about how to change the morning conversation. “So, what’s the plan for Winter Solstice and Christmas? Who is hosting this year?”

“We are.” Piper joined them at the table. “Phoebe and Coop are getting their floors redone. And Paige and Henry are too backed up with work to host.”

“Cool.” Joey took a few more bites. “I guess that means you’re going to make Chris and I deep clean.”

“And your father.” Piper blew a kiss at Leo, who didn’t look pleased with the prospects of cleaning the house. “I’ll put a list together of everything we need done here. You should probably call Wyatt for help.”

Joey rolled his eyes. “Why? He’ll only make things worse.”

“Joe!” Leo sighed. “I know you and Chris have issues with Wyatt.”

“Save it.” Joey pushed his plate aside. He only ate about half his food but now felt too angry to finish. “Wyatt needs to apologize and fix his shit. He almost got Chris and Brody killed. Chris barely bounced back from the poison. And now I have to watch my ass for bounty hunters to protect this damn amulet since I’m immune to Rennek’s poison!”

Joey grabbed his backpack and stormed out of the kitchen. “I’ll see you later.” 

Piper and Leo sighed. The front door slammed from Joey's leaving. 

“This isn’t good.” Leo massaged his forehead. “If they keep fighting like this, then it could leave them without their powers. Then, the demons win.”

Piper took a deep breath. “They won’t let it get to that point. Their bond is stronger than that.”

Leo shrugged. “You sure? How many times have you and your sisters lose the Power of Three because of fights like these?”

“Too many.” Piper took a sip from her coffee. She prayed that her sons wouldn’t make those same mistakes, but feared that they might.

*~*

The remaining bounty hunters gathered at a dingy, demonic dive bar. They took a shot in memory of their comrades that fell to the Charmed Ones a few days ago. The thousand-year-old liquor burned their throats but tasted intoxicating as it reminded them of the dangers and joys of their occupation.

Rennek approached the bounty hunters. He remained silent as he sipped his liquor and brought a lit cigarette to his lips. The bounty hunters paid him no attention, not that he cared. He only had the role of the middleman in this arrangement. 

“What do you want, Darklighter?” asked a curvy, female demon. 

Rennek held a finger while taking a deep drag of his cigarette. He blew smoke out. “All will be clear, my friends.”

A blue-haired, male demon rolled his eyes. “To the Wasteland with you, Darklighter. Half of us died for some stupid amulet.”

Rennek shrugged. “Which means more profits for you when you take amulet the Charmed Ones.”

“Like we’d risk going after the Charmed Ones again,” said a dark-skinned, male demon.

“Oh? But we have a contract.” The sensuous voice of a woman greeted the bounty hunters. Emerging from the shadows of the bar, a woman sauntered towards them in a skintight, ebony suit. Her blonde hair slid across her milky skin, and she would lick her lips to expose her sharp fangs.

The bounty hunters appeared mildly nervous now that they found themselves in the presence of a Vampire Queen.

Rennek gestured to the barkeep that they needed a glass of blood. He turned his gaze onto the bounty hunters. “Allow me to introduce, Lamia. The reigning Vampire Queen.”

Lamia smiled as she brushed her finger across Rennek’s face. “Thank you for that sweet introduction, Rennek, darling. “ She flashed her dark eyes at the bounty hunters. “Now, what’s this about not wanting to face the Charmed Ones again? We have a contract.”

“The pay isn’t enough,” said the blue-haired demon. “Nor is the risk. Why should we care about this amulet?”

“Because its a game-changer.” Lamia took a deep breath. She folded her hands over her stomach. “My demons. Haven’t we suffered enough? The Underworld is in chaos. The power vacuum threatens us all. It is time that we seize power for ourselves and bring the Underworld to a new age.” Lamia extended a hand to them. “We need to claim Ultimate Power. And to attain that, we need the Amulet of Osiris.”

“Why!” said the curvy demon.

Lamia grinned as the barkeep handed her a glass of blood. “With the Ultimate Power, we can rewrite the rules of the Underworld to favor us? Doesn’t that sound appealing?” She noticed the curiosity in their eyes. They would all hunger for power. “As for the Charmed Ones, I know exactly how to deal with them. All you need to do is break their Power of Three, and they’ll become as weak as any other mortal. And I have a plan to make that happen if you’re interested.”

The bounty hunters fell silent before nodding in agreement. They would take the risk to target the Charmed Ones for this potential victory.

*~*

Wyatt scribbled onto the paperwork to clear everything out. His navy coveralls had grease and oil stains on them. He couldn’t believe that he felt grateful for work since the shop distracted him from the conflict with himself and his family. He didn’t have to think about his issues, his unstable power, his fight with Piper, or nearly getting Chris and Brody killed. Here, he could focus on fixing cars. 

“Okay, Jess.” Wyatt pointed at Jessica’s car. “I fixed the brakes, did the tire rotation and alignment, and even got you an oil change. And here’s the price after the friends and family discount.”

Jessica beamed. “You’re the best, Wyatt!” 

“If you say so.” Wyatt ripped the paper from the pad. “Take this to billing, and they’ll hand you back your keys.”

“ _Gracias_!” Jessica grabbed the paper, not even noticing Wyatt’s troubles since she knew nothing of what happened last week. She patted Wyatt’s greasy cheek. “See you later, grease monkey!”

Wyatt rolled his eyes. He walked to the breakroom since he could go on his lunch break. He scratched his head from the dry air irritating his scalp, which only got worse since he had to wear his hair into a ponytail for work. As he entered the breakroom, Wyatt saw no one else inside, which left him anxious since the lack of distraction meant that his thoughts could plague him.

He shook his head. “I need to start smoking weed.” He went to the fridge to grab his lunch. The box contained some leftover rice, veggies, and grilled chicken. Nothing fancy but a simple enough dish to keep him satisfied until dinner. He moved to the microwave when he felt something.

He grabbed a knife from the drawer. He turned and caught the fluorescent lightning reflecting against an athame. He dodged the attack with a dark-skinned bounty hunter crashing against the countertop.

Wyatt kicked the demon’s back to leave the demon stunned for a moment. Wyatt twisted the knife around as he backed away from the demon to regroup. He couldn’t sense another demon, so he knew this one acted alone.

“Really?” said Wyatt. “I work here. Don’t fuck with my paycheck.”

The demon growled. “Where’s the amulet, Charmed One? We know you have it!”

Wyatt almost questioned what the demon meant when he remembered the Amulet of Osiris. Wyatt realized this demon was another bounty hunter, which meant he could count Rennek’s involvement. “None of your business!” Wyatt swung his hand. He attempted to use telekinesis to throw a chair, but the chair didn’t budge from the table. “Fuck! Not now!”

“Can’t get it up, witch?” The demon tackled Wyatt to the ground. They lost their weapons as they rolled on the dingy carpet. Wyatt managed to push the demon off him.

The demon crashed against the wall. Wyatt kneeled as he flicked his wrist. This time he felt rage building as he wanted nothing more to rid himself of this demon. He gathered enough power to trigger a strong enough explosive force to vanquish the demon.

A small scorch mark covered the wall, which Wyatt could undo with a Vanishing Spell. First, he needed to send out a warning to Chris and Joey. The demons knew that the brothers had the amulet now, which endangered them.

Wyatt ran to his locker to get his phone to warn Chris and Joey.

*~*

Chris behaved like a proper date as he escorted his date, a petite, blonde-haired woman named Terri, back to her dorm room after their coffee date. Chris chatted along with Terri as they kept talking about their first semester. So far, the date went well. Chris didn’t feel the butterflies that he had with Bianca, but things with Terri seemed like they could go somewhere with a little time.

Terri unlocked her dorm room door. She smiled and brushed her hair over her shoulder. “Well, I had fun. Did you?”

“Yeah.” Chris nodded. “This is probably the highlight of my week.” Terri laughed and mentioned that it was only Monday. “Thanks for giving me a second chance.” They started chatting last week on Tinder. Actually, they were supposed to have their date yesterday, but Chris hadn’t bounced back from the Darklighter poison. He was glad that he didn’t have to delay it another day.

“No problem. You actually gave me more time to pack.” Terri pointed to her organized bedroom. “My flight leaves tomorrow afternoon. Now, I can chill.”

Chris chuckled. “Great. I get to work at my mom’s restaurant and deal with angry Karens.”

Terri laughed. “I’m sorry.” She paused for a second. She stood on her toes since, even with heels, she couldn’t quite reach Chris’s face. She kissed his lips gently for a moment before pulling away. “Text me later.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Chris stepped away from the door, letting Terri close it. 

Chris silently cheered for himself. He was a good date. 

Chris made his way out the door. He went towards the elevator when he felt a chill in the air that made his hairs stand on end. He feared that a demon found him. He got Wyatt’s text in the middle of the date. His instincts, and anger, told him to ignore it only for Wyatt to bombard them with a dozen more texts to warn them that more bounty hunters were after the amulet.

Looking around, Chris found the stairs near the elevator. If any demons followed him to the dorm, he could corner them in the stairway. He went for the stairs and pushed the door close behind him. He made it about halfway down a flight of stairs when he felt the chill again.

The buzz of electricity alerted Chris to danger. He grabbed onto the failing and jumped to the next staircase. He jumped again to a lower floor to get more distance between him and the demon. A stream of electricity descended the stairs and blasted the wall, leaving a dark mark. 

“Where’s the amulet, witch!” The demon rushed downstairs to catch up to Chris.

Chris backed himself to the wall. He finally caught sight of the dark-haired male demon. He swung his arm as he attempted to use his telekinesis to slam the demon to the wall. However, his telekinesis only managed to make the demon lose balance. The demon hung onto the railing and didn’t appear affected by the attack.

Chris glanced at his hand. “What is up with me?”

The demon started to straighten himself out. He flicked his wrist to generate lightning. “Give up the amulet, witch!” The demon fired another electrical blast. Chris called on the lightning, engulfing it in orbs. The lightning got redirected back at the demon, vanquishing him with his own attack.

As the ash fell, Chris took a deep breath. He didn’t sense any more demons nearby, but that didn’t mean things would go back to normal. More demons would come after them until they got the amulet. And as far as Chris knew, they hadn’t found Joey yet. Chris closed his eyes to detect Joey’s location since they would need to protect him since he had the amulet.

“Found you.” Chris grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to Wyatt about going after Joey. As soon as the text went through, Chris engulfed himself in orbs to rendezvous with Joey.

*~*

For the first time in his life, Joey didn’t want school to end. He knew what waited for him beyond the walls of school. The demons that lurked outside wouldn’t risk exposure since that had far greater supernatural repercussions, but they could wait until the clock struck 4:15. 

Joey made it to the bus without any signs of demons. He bit his lip as his senses told him that he wasn’t safe. He didn’t need a vision to warn him of anything. He glanced at his phone. Wyatt still had a few minutes before he could clock out from work and still no text back from Chris. 

Joey’s legs fidgeted on his seat. He reached for his backpack to touch the athame that he packed inside and kept hidden with a Vanishing Spell. He started to chant the reversal spell and readied himself to draw it at a moment’s notice as the bus neared his stop.

The driver pulled over close to Prescott Street. Joey stepped out from the bus and stuck close to the few kids that got off with him. He stuck the athame up the sleeve of his sweater. He kept his eyes peeled for any demonic presence. 

So far, no demon jumped out to attack, but he knew it would happen soon enough. He passed his neighbor’s house when he heard some rustling in their bushes. He felt a chill and knew that an attack was approaching. He started to pick up the speed to get home with his keys, ready to unlock the door. 

He slammed the door shut. He didn’t bother locking it since demons would break in without hesitating. He dropped his backpack and started to run upstairs to the attic to get to the Book of Shadows and their potion armory. 

Joey made it halfway upstairs when he felt a demonic presence. The curvy, female demon shimmered into the manor, appearing behind him. He kicked the demon’s face to send her tumbling downstairs. 

A few more demons started to shimmer into the ground floor. Joey ignored them as he ran into the attic while screaming for Wyatt and Chris. 

Joey closed the attack door behind him. He almost made it to the Book of Shadow’s altar when a blue-haired demon shimmered into the attic. He swung the athame at the demon, but the demon moved quicker. The demon grabbed onto Joey’s arm and threw him against the wall. 

Joey dropped his athame and barely missed slamming his head against the wood frame. He tumbled to the ground as the remaining three demons shimmered into the attic. “Fuck!”

“Such nasty language for a young man.” Rennek stepped into the attic with his arms crossed. “How does Leo feel about his baby boy speaking so crassly? Or has he fallen to depravity since becoming mortal?”

“Fuck off!” Joey spat. 

Rennek grinned. “I have my answer. Moving on. Hand over the Amulet of Osiris, little witch.”

“No!” The demons fell to the ground with Wyatt and Chris standing behind them as they used their telekinesis to attack. Rennek jumped since that surprised him. Smoke gathered from Rennek’s hand as he summoned his crossbow.

Wyatt orbed the crossbow from Rennek’s hands then slammed it against Rennek’s face. The crossbow bounced across the floor, while Rennek covered his bleeding nose. “Fuck!” Rennek growled. “Kill them!”

The demons got up and started to make their moves on the brothers. It turned into a chaotic brawl, especially since Wyatt and Chris couldn’t rely on the stability of their active powers.

The fights turned more into a shove feast as the brothers tried to prevent the demons from using their powers. Joey reclaimed his athame and went to cut a demon’s face. He missed and bumped into Wyatt instead. They groaned at each other before going back to their demons.

Rennek got the bleeding to stop when he spotted Chris shove a demon to a wall. Chris went for the potion cabinet to grab the first explosive potion within reach. Chris tossed the potion, blasting that demon to the Wasteland.

Meanwhile, Wyatt kicked the blue-haired demon. He looked over his shoulder as Joey slashed at the curvy demon but missed again. Wyatt had Joey pass the athame to him so that he could stab a bulky demon in the neck. The demon exploded into flames, with only two left. 

“Get them!” Rennek’s voice boomed. It distracted the brothers for a split second. The blue-haired demon and the curvy demon tackled Wyatt and Chris. Rennek went for the crossbow as he could easily poison them.

Joey shook his head. He thought of the spell that he made to vanquish Rennek. Even with the distance, he could channel Chris and Wyatt’s powers to amplify the spell. “ _Wicked destroyer of holy light._ ” Joey glared at Rennek. “ _I vanquish thee with brotherly might!_ ”

An explosion pushed Rennek across the attic. He lost his grip on the crossbow, but the spell didn’t have the power to vanquish him. He regained his balance. “That stung. But still alive.” Rennek laughed. “It looks like your Power of Three isn’t that strong. Or maybe you lost it?”

“Shut up!” Chris jerked his hand free. He flicked his wrist to use telekinesis, but the curvy demon grabbed his arm. She messed with his aim, so the telekinetic blast hit Joey instead.

Joey flew across the attic and landed near the potion’s cabinet. An acidic potion fell out but managed not to break. 

From the altar, the Book of Shadows started to vibrate. The triquetra started glowing. 

Wyatt pushed the blue-haired demon off him. He tried to free Chris, but the curvy demon kicked his chest. 

Rennek smiled as he could see them failing. “You’re not so tough after all, Charmed Ones. You’re pathetic like your father. You can’t even handle a Darklighter and a bounty hunter. How did you manage to vanquish an Old One?”

They glared at Rennek, but he wasn’t entirely wrong. They couldn’t even handle this fight even after they did so well against Asmodeus. And yet, Rennek kept getting the best of them without even doing much.

The Book of Shadows started glowing brighter as it fell from the podium. As it landed on the floor, the triquetra separated with them losing their witch powers. 

Rennek didn't notice the Book of Shadows. He retrieved his crossbow and aimed for Wyatt this time. “Oh well. I guess this the end of the road for you.” 

However, before Rennek could pull the trigger, Joey grabbed the acidic potion. Joey tossed it at Rennek with the potion scalding Rennek enough that it made flames rise from his body. Rennek’s body exploded into dark orbs as the potion vanquished him. The crossbow fell to the ground where it left unused. 

Chris pushed the curvy demon off him. He swung his hands to use his telekinesis, but nothing happened. “What the hell’s wrong with my powers now?”

Wyatt tried to use his powers, too, but couldn’t do anything either. The demons laughed as they ignited their energy balls. Joey moved for the crossbow but found himself in too much pain to move. He fell to the ground as he saw the demons throw the energy balls at Wyatt and Chris. Luckily, they started to orb, which neutralized the destructive power of the energy balls, but the force of the impact sent their orbing bodies out of the manor.

“No!” screamed Joey. 

The demons turned to Joey. The blue-haired demon grabbed Joey’s arm and dragged him to his feet. He could see the beading of the amulet around Joey’s neck, which he snatched from him. “Looks like we’re making a nice profit,” said the demon.

“Good for us.” The curvy demon laughed. “Don’t forget the boy. Lamia has plans for them too.” They shimmered out of the manor with the amulet in their possession and Joey as their prisoner.

*~*

Chris and Wyatt’s orb trails crashed into the bay. Salty water erupted into the air as they corporealized and reached the surface. They quickly swam to shore where they spat up water and tried to steady their breathing.

Wyatt tried to brush the water from his face, but he was too soaked. It only made things worse as he stumbled in his soaked clothing. “Fuck!”

“We have to get back.” Chris stumbled to his feet. He hesitated for a second as he remembered what happened at the attic. Their powers failed them, which allowed the demons to get the upper hand. He grabbed a rock from the sand. “Wyatt. Freeze this!” Chris tossed the rock, and Wyatt responded quickly enough.

Back when they were kids, they always played a freezing game. Chris would toss things, and Wyatt would freeze them. So anytime that Chris said, “Freeze this,” Wyatt knew how to respond. Wyatt flicked his fingers to freeze the rock, but it did no good. Instead, the rock landed on his foot.

“Son of a bitch!” Wyatt groaned. He fought the pain, and his eyes widened. “Son of a bitch! My powers!”

Chris flicked his wrist. Nothing in the vicinity moved. “My powers are gone too.” Chris fell to his knees. He shook his head. “That means Joey’s lost his powers too. Not that premonitions would do him much good against demons.”

Wyatt went over to Chris. “That doesn’t matter. We need to hurry home. We still have our Whitelighter powers, right?”

“Right.” Chris got on his feet. They took a deep breath and orbed. 

They returned to the attic to find it empty. They noticed how messy things looked from their fight against Rennek and the bounty hunters. However, they found no trace of Joey and knew that the demons got to him and the amulet. 

Wyatt frowned. He walked to the Book of Shadows to see that the triquetra separated. It served as all the proof that they needed that they no longer had the Power of Three. “We failed.” Wyatt reached for the book. It didn’t repel his touch, but that didn’t make him feel any better. “We failed.” Wyatt pressed the book against his chest as he started to cry.

Chris stared out the window. He didn’t know what to do next. “Joey.” He whispered and started to cry as he didn’t know how they could save Joey without their powers. Or if Joey would even survive what the demons had planned.

*~*

The demons tossed Joey to a filthy floor near melted bars. The demons brought Joey to the basement of an abandoned manor somewhere along the California coast. The paneling crumbled, dust-covered everything, and the place smelt of rotting flesh. Joey tried to move, but the curvy-figured demon kicked him so that he’d stay down. 

“Easy!” shouted Joey. “You already got the amulet. What else do you want?”

“You.” 

The demons stepped aside to make room for Lamia. She smiled as the blue-haired demon handed the amulet to her. Her eyes almost twinkled when she gazed upon the amulet and sensed its power.

Lamia grabbed an athame from the demon’s sheath. “Everything's falling into place now. I have everything that I need to attain Ultimate Power.” She took the knife and slit her wrist. Her ruby blood flowed freely, which she smeared onto the amulet with it beginning to glow faintly. Her body healed itself almost instantly. 

Lamia turned to the demons. “Restrain the boy.” They didn’t hesitate. They grabbed Joey and lifted him while Lamia stepped closer. She licked her fangs. “What a delightful turn of events. If I knew it would be so easy to destroy the Power of Three, I would’ve acted sooner.”

Joey struggled against the demons’ grips. “So you’re the one who hired Rennek and these assholes? Here I thought this was Zurie’s plan.” He didn’t notice as Lamia smirked from the mention of Zurie’s name. “Why do you want the amulet?”

“Weren’t you listening? It’s for Ultimate Power.” Lamia held the amulet to Joey’s face. “You know the amulet’s power. It can bring the dead back. But only at the start of a new millennium, so we tragically missed our window of opportunity.” Lamia chuckled. “However, I know an alternative way to make the amulet work. It requires blood from the wicked. And blood from the virtuous. Of course, they need to wield great power. A Vampire Queen and a Charmed One should be more than enough.” 

Lamia leaned close and sank her fangs into Joey’s neck. Joey screamed until his voice started to fade. Lamia pulled away since she had no intention of killing Joey; she only wanted to drain enough of his blood to activate the amulet. She spat Joey’s blood onto the amulet, where it reacted to her blood. She told the demons to patch him up as she began to ritual.

A demon covered the wound, but Joey was left too dazed from Lamia’s bite to have any awareness of his surroundings. 

The Amulet of Osiris burned in Lamia’s hand. She laid it on the ground near the cage. “This place, your mortal prison. Here the Triad plotted when on Earth. Bound they left you. Enslaved your mind.” Lamia stepped away from the amulet and crossed her arms. “Rise, fallen one. Your purpose is unfilled. The scales are not yet balanced. Final judgment cannot be made.”

The amulet cracked. A surge of magic rippled across the ground that pushed everyone back a few steps.

Fire ascended to the ceiling. Lamia smiled as they heard a woman’s scream.

The fire smothered itself and took a physical form. Joey recovered enough with his sight recognizing this form. From the fire arose a young woman that Joey saw before in pictures. A woman who he knew should remain dead, or else she would burn everything. She appeared confused. Her blonde hair swayed from her shoulders as she looked down to see the same clothes that she wore during her final moments: a burgundy cropped-vest over a pink blouse and a pair of skinny jeans.

Lamia extended her hand to the young woman. “Welcome back, Christy.”

Christy Jenkins blinked. She didn’t touch Lamia’s hand as she instead looked around her surroundings. “This place.” She stared at the bars. “The Triad brought me here. Dumain cared for me here.” She shook her head. Her thoughts proved too scattered as the trauma of death, and rebirth left her mind fragmented. “Billie? She betrayed me.”

“Take your time, Christy.” Lamia gently touched Christy’s shoulder. “I understand the pain. Much has changed in the seventeen years since you’ve died. The Triad is gone. Evil is disorganized. And a new generation of Charmed Ones is making our lives miserable.”

“Charmed Ones?” Christy’s hazel eyes widened. She glared at Lamia. “New ones? I bet Piper had another kid.”

Lamia nodded. She knew of the hate that Christy had for the old Charmed Ones, but especially for Piper. “I even brought the youngest here as a prisoner and forced him to help bring you back. Allow me to introduce you to Joseph Halliwell.” She gestured to the dazed Joey, who only appeared more nervous once Christy looked at him.

“He’s practically a baby.” Christy huffed. “His powers will do no good. If I want revenge on his family, then I need something stronger.”

Lamia agreed. “Yes! Key to Ultimate Power. It is time for you to claim what is yours. And together, we can eliminate the Halliwell bloodline then conquer the Underworld.”

“We?” Christy pushed Lamia’s hand from her shoulder. Christy’s hand ignited with flames as she activated her powers as a Firestarter. “There is no we. I’ve had demon partners before. I’m done with it. I work alone now.” She threw fire from her hand to reduce Lamia into nothing but ash as Lamia howled in agonizing pain. Christy turned her gaze onto the remaining demons. She flicked her wrist, setting them on fire too. Their screams echoed across the basement as they met a painful demise. 

Joey gasped. He backed away from Christy while covering his neck. 

Christy smirked. She took a step closer, stepping over the cracked amulet. The amulet broke further from the pressure of her heel. She knelt over to Joey and shook her head. “I’m going to get back what belongs to me. Then, I’m ridding this world of you and your family.” She grabbed Joey by the shoulder and tossed him into the broken cage without the hint of struggle. 

Christy laughed while she left the basement to start the first phase of her wicked plan.

Tears trickled from Joey’s eyes as he laid his head on the ground. He didn’t know how he could get himself out of this situation without his powers or how he could even put up a fight against someone as powerful as Christy. He closed his eyes and practically embraced the inevitable when a set of swirling lights appeared above him.

A woman’s voice reached out to Joey from the swirling lights. “ _Don’t give up. It’s not over._ ” The voice spoke calmly yet firm. It tugged at Joey’s memories, but he was still too dazed from Lamia’s bite to remember anything. The lights descended to touch Joey’s head. “ _Have faith in yourself and your brothers._ ” 

Joey nodded but couldn’t do much else as he closed his eyes and passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's all hands on deck for the next chapter. We got a broken Power of Three, an evil witch back from the dead, and a baby brother to save. How will this turn out? And who is the familiar voice that is speaking to Joey? You'll have to check in next week to see where this goes as the brothers face their biggest trial yet!


	13. Charmed 3.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, all you cool cats and kittens! I'm back with an extra-long chapter fresh from Google Docs! And I'm all moved into my new place! Woo!
> 
> Now, while you get all hyped for this chapter, I wanted to also give you the heads up that next week I'll post the first part of a two-part crossover with the Charmed reboot! That's right! The Halliwell brothers and the Vera-Vaughn sisters are about to go on a wild adventure! I can't wait to start writing it.
> 
> Anywho! Kudos and comments, as always, are much appreciated.

All hands on deck gathered at Halliwell Manor. 

Wyatt and Chris immediately called everyone to fill them in on what happened earlier that night. Piper and Leo came home to find the manor a disaster. Paige orbed in with her family while Phoebe got beamed in with Coop and the girls. Brody got everything he could from them before returning to the Heavens to see if the Elders could help them search for Joey.

No one got any rest that night as they did everything they could to find Joey. Paige joined hands with Tamora as they used their Whitelighter senses. Coop, PJ, and Paulina did the same but relied on their Cupid abilities. Phoebe and Hank worked on scrying. Henry got left looking at the Book of Shadows for anything stronger than the “To Call a Lost Witch” spell.

Wyatt and Chris sat on a lounge, their faces buried in their hands. Piper and Leo stood over there. None of them said a word since it wouldn’t do any good. Piper and Leo could yell, but their words would only reinforce the pained emotions that Wyatt and Chris already felt. They couldn’t say anything that would benefit the situation or prevent it. All they could do was move forward.

Piper flinched while she got to her knees. “Look...we’ll find Joey. Then, you can focus on making things right and getting your powers back. This is only a bump on the road.”

“A major bump,” said Chris.

“It’s our fault if Joey gets hurt,” said Wyatt, “or killed.”

Leo sighed. “Don’t let your minds take you there. You need to have faith in Joey and yourselves. Losing that is what cost you your powers. You let Rennek get the best of you, even though you managed to vanquish him.”

“Joey did.” Chris shook his head. “Joey vanquished Rennek. He’s the one that’s been doing everything for us. Wyatt and I are only the muscle. Joey’s the one that does everything else. Especially since Mark died.”

“He’s been fighting so hard so that no one else gets killed.” Wyatt pressed his back against the lounge and stared out the window. He couldn’t detect Joey’s presence no matter how hard he tried. “And we let out pettiness put his life in danger.

Piper frowned. She grabbed onto Chris and Wyatt’s hands. “We’ll bring Joey home. Soon.” Piper held back tears as she looked them in the eyes. “I promise.” They nodded. Although they knew that Piper didn’t have the power to guarantee that would happen, it still made them feel a little better knowing that their mother and the rest of their family were here to help.

For all the good that might do.

*~*

Returning to her Chicago hotel room, Billie Jenkins felt some relief that she could get some sleep. After a long day of meetings and workshops, she could let her blonde hair down. She almost regretted agreeing to this work trip, but it wasn’t like she could turn down the firm, not if she wanted to keep a roof over her family’s head. 

Billie dug into her purse. She found several texts from her husband, Kevin. Most of the texts focused on his day, while also letting her know that their daughter, Mia, missed her mommy. Billie smiled. She missed her little Mia. 

The purse and phone bounced across the bed. Billie sighed while kicking off her heels when the lamp across the room lit itself. Except, the lamp didn’t light itself. Billie gasped and nearly fell from the bed when she saw Christy sitting on the sofa.

Christy smirked while she sat with her hands folded over her lap. “Hello, Billie.”

“Christy?” Billie trembled. She slowly got on her feet. For years, she found herself haunted by images of Christy, but they were all figments. However, the same wasn’t true this time. She could sense the truth. “How? How are you alive!”

“Divine intervention?” Christy laughed. “A demon brought me back. And she used Joey’s magic to make that happen.” She poked at her head. “Joey. Piper’s kid. Your godson.” She shook her head while she got up from the sofa. She slowly made her way across the room, while Billie braced herself for an attack. “So, you killed me and went crawling back to the sisters?”

“That’s not what happened.” Billie had tears pouring from her eyes.

Christy huffed. “I don’t care. I’ll never forgive you for what you did to me, Billie.” Christy lunged across the hotel room before Billie could defend herself. Rays of golden light arose from Christy’s hands as she grabbed onto Billie’s wrist. Billie couldn’t bring herself to scream as she didn’t want to endanger anyone else but also because she felt herself quickly losing her strength.

Billie dropped to her knees, while Christy bore a malicious grin.

“The Ultimate Power is mine alone,” said Christy. “You broke our sisterhood when you betrayed me.” She released Billie, allowing Billie to fall to the ground half-conscious and gasping for air. She flicked her wrist to cause the sofa to move as she now had Billie’s telekinetic abilities and so much more. “I’ll come back to kill you later, Billie. After I’m done with the Halliwells.” She smirked while images flashed before her eyes. “And after I pay a visit to my brother-in-law and niece.”

Billie gasped. She raised her hand, making her purse move slightly but not nearly enough to do anything to Christy. 

Christy laughed. “Bye, Billie.” She took a step back. Her body vanished in white light as she used Billie’s projection power to transport her somewhere else.

Billie’s head touched the floor. She cried as she feared for her family’s safety and what Christy could do. She gave a weak cry. “Paige.” She managed to mutter Paige’s name once more before she became unconscious.

*~*

Joey spent hours sleeping on the cold floors of the Triad’s abandoned manor. He rubbed his tired eyes and attempted to ignore the pain that riddled his body. He could barely move an inch as he felt only exhaustion mixed with hunger. However, he couldn’t count on his warden providing any food, especially since Christy made it abundantly clear how she wanted him dead for his mom and aunts’ sins.

No noise came from the outside world. The basement and cell had no windows. And it was completely soundproof, which further alienated Joey. He could see how Christy went insane from spending much of her life trapped in this hellhole. Not that he would allow himself to forgive her for her actions. The Triad and Dumain handed Christy the metaphorical gun, but she chose to pull the trigger.

Joey knew that he needed to escape, so his instincts told him to call for help. However, his voice cracked from being so parched. He fought the pain to call Brody, Wyatt, Chris, Paige, and Tamora. He even tried calling on Coop, PJ, and Paulina. He didn’t know if Cupids could hear distress signals likes his, but he had to give it a try. He couldn’t give up right away.

However, no matter how hard he cried, no help came. Whether it was from the manor’s wards or his exhaustion, no one could hear his pleas.

It left only dread in Joey’s heard. He rested his head back on the cold floor and sighed. “So...this is where I die?” Tears trickled down his face. “This isn’t how I pictured things would end. I thought I’d have a longer run than this. And, I didn’t think I’d die alone.”

White orbs gathered behind Joey. He didn’t see the light, nor did he feel the other presence in the room. He didn’t become aware of anything until he felt a cold hand touch his cheek, gently brushing away his tears.

The sudden contact sent a jolt across Joey’s body. He rolled onto his side to find a beautiful woman in a white dress with long, black hair and green eyes smiling at him. A woman that looked a bit like Chris. A woman that he saw in numerous photos and old family videos. 

Joey’s jaw hung open as he continued to cry. He looked at her carefully to make it was her. And while she didn’t have the ethereal glow of a ghost, he could tell that she was no longer part of this world. She was a spirit that attained a temporary body like Grams and Grandma Patty. 

“Is that you?” He stuttered. “Aunt Prue?”

“Hi, Joey.” Prue reached to hold Joey’s hand while he stared at her with wide eyes. “I wish we got to meet under better circumstances. But here I am. I’m going to keep you safe.”

Joey didn’t know what to say. Instead, his instincts took over. He threw his arms around Prue and hugged her while he continued to cry.

Prue smiled. She held onto Joey and gently rubbed his back. “It’s okay, Joey. I got you.” She pulled away to look him in the eyes. “We’ll get through this together. I’m getting you back to your brothers. And we’ll stop Christy. Okay?” Joey nodded. Prue got on her feet. 

And in this dark, dreary cell, Joey felt a glimmer of hope ignite in his heart.

*~*

Leo walked upstairs back into the attic. He had a bagel with him as he spoke into a phone. “Yes. Joseph has food poisoning and will miss school today. And possibly tomorrow too. Okay. Thank you.” He hung up the phone. He called in the school to cut Joey an excuse since they still hadn’t found where the demons took him.

Coop and Henry made similar phone calls for their kids too. They didn’t know how to Joey but figured that they would need to pull all their magic together to compensate for Chris and Wyatt losing their powers.

In the attic, Piper gathered everyone together as they tried to cast the “To Call a Lost Witch Spell” again but got no results. She didn’t know if Joey’s lack of powers caused the spell not to work or if the warding was too powerful. However, Joey’s absence and the boys losing their powers weren’t even the most significant problem at the moment.

Last night, everyone decided to stay at the manor so that they could work on the rescue efforts in the morning. However, in the middle of the night, Paige heard Billie’s cries for help. Paige brought Billie back and healed her. They didn’t get much information from Billie other than her vaguely muttering her family was in danger.

As Leo returned to the attic, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He looked over his shoulder to find an exhausted Billie joining them too. “Are you okay?” asked Leo.

Billie shook her head. “No. It’s Christy. She’s back. She attacked me and took my powers.” Her words created a chilling effect over the attic. Everyone stared with wide eyes as they hadn’t expected that bit of news. And to reinforce her point, she flicked her wrist at a nearby box. The box moved only slightly. “My powers are almost gone.” Billie sighed. “She said that she’s coming after you too. And...my family. Oh god! Kevin and Mia.”

“Are safe.” Coop stepped over to Billie and held her hand. “I took them to Magic School.”

“Thank you.” 

Paige shook her head. “But Christy? How is she back?”

Chris gulped. “The amulet. The demons must’ve used it to resurrect her.”

“But why her?” PJ bit her lip while she thought about the demons’ plan. “Why waste the amulet’s magic on a bad witch? No offense, Billie. When they could’ve used it to resurrect someone like the Source, Zankou, or Asmodeus.”

Phoebe smirked while she got up from her chair. “Because...Billie and Christy actually killed us.” She crossed her arms. “At best, the demons only managed to kill one of us, which is good enough but we always bounce back. It was Billie and Christy that nearly succeeded in wiping our family out. Paige and I are only alive because Piper and Leo changed the outcome of the first ultimate battle. The one where Paige, Christy, and I died.”

“So the demons would want to use Christy’s power to finish us,” said Wyatt. 

Before they could discuss Christy further, a pair of light blue orbs gathered in the attic. Everyone looked as Brody returned and brought with him a woman in white and gold robes. The woman had sandy, blonde hair that stopped at her neck. 

Piper smiled. “Sandra! Did you find Joey?”

The Elder, Sandra, gave a deep sigh. She went over to Piper and Leo. “I wish I had better news, but not even we could find Joey. Wherever he is, the wards are so powerful that we can’t narrow his location,” she said softly. “All we could confirm is that he is alive.” She looked at Billie. “I caught the tail end of what you said about Christy. I am sorry that you have to go through this pain again.”

Billie frowned but accepted Sandra’s apologies. 

“So.” Paige grabbed onto Henry’s arm while looking at everyone. “Christy is back. She has Billie’s magic. And the boys are without the Power of Three. Is there any chance that we can reclaim it for ourselves?”

“No.” Sandra shook her head. “The Power of Three belongs to the boys now. Only they can reclaim the power for themselves. Or, it remains lost until the next generation.”

Chris turned to the Book of Shadows. The triquetra remained separated, which proved that their bond as brothers remained broken. “We can’t reclaim it without Joey. But we need the Power of Three to find him...or something comparable.”

“ _We might have an idea._ ” A woman’s soothing voice echoed across the attic. A pair of white orbs descended from the ceiling as two women joined them. The woman that spoke had long, brown hair and retained a youthful glow about her even in death as she wore a lovely green dress. An older woman joined her, wearing a flowy red robe over an orange dress.

Piper rushed to them. “Mom! Grams!” She threw her arms around Patty and Penny as they offered her a hug in return.

Penny stroked Piper’s cheek. “Oh, darling. It looks like you’re in a bit of a mess.” Everyone gathered to greet Patty and Penny’s arrival. Penny made sure to take a moment longer with her great-grandchildren, especially when she finally got a good look at Wyatt and Chris. Penny shook her head. “Boys! You really let those demons break you? Didn’t your mother teach you better?”

“Yes.” Wyatt and Chris spoke with dejected tones.

Before Penny could scold them more, Patty stepped in the way. She hugged her grandsons and kissed their foreheads. “That’s in the past. Right now, we have a job to do.” Patty turned to Sandra. “We have this covered. We know where Joey is.”

“You do!” said Piper. “How?”

Penny shook her head. “We don’t know exactly where he is. But when the boys lost their powers, and Joey got kidnapped, we pulled our magic together to send someone to protect Joey.”

“We?” Phoebe interrupted. “You and mom?”

“No. All the witches of the Warren line.”

Sandra grinned. “Then, I suppose you have this covered. Let us know if you need anything else.” She orbed back to the Heavens, leaving them to focus on rescuing Joey.

Tamora leaned against Hank. “Looks like we need all our magic to bring Joey home. Just like when we faced Asmodeus.”

“Exactly!” said Patty.

Piper smiled. They had something to hope for now, but she still had one thing that bothered him. “Who did you send to protect Joey? Is it Melinda?”

Penny chuckled. “No. Melinda is organizing everything up there. Someone else volunteered to protect Joey from that horrible witch Christy.” She turned to Billie. “No offense, darling. But she is.”

Billie shrugged. “There’s no love between us anymore. She tried to kill me and threatened both my families.” She grinned at Piper, who nodded in response.

“Who’s with Joey then?” asked Piper.

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Patty. “It’s Prue. Prue’s with Joey.”

*~*

At the abandoned manor, Prue sat on the floor with Joey. They spent much of the morning talking since they didn’t exactly have the option of fleeing.

Joey folded his legs against his chest with a smile plastered across his face. “Do you have any more embarrassing stories of my mom?”

Prue chuckled. “I think that’s enough for today.” She started to get on her feet. She helped Joey up too when they felt something above them. A strange warmth spread across the manor that left them worried. “We need to focus on the bigger picture. I have to keep you safe until our family can bring you home.”

“How?” Joey shook his head. “The Triad used this place as a base, and we’re without the Power of Three. There isn’t anything else that can find me.”

“Have a little faith in us. In our family.” Prue held Joey’s hand while she led him out of the cage. They went to the stairs with Prue keeping the lead since she retained her powers. “Our family has a knack for defying all odds. And you can’t underestimate how determined your brothers will be in trying to bring you home.”

Joey frowned. “Even after all our fighting?”

Prue nodded. “Do you know how many times I fought with your mom and Aunt Phoebe? Or how many times I wanted to kill them? Fighting is part of the sibling contract.” They made it to a door. Prue flicked her wrist, slowly opening the door. They took careful steps out into a dark hallway. “You can fight with your brothers, all you like, but don’t forget how much you love each other. And how much you need one another too. Even they need you. They just don’t want to admit it because they’re the older ones.”

Joey smirked. He could see how desperately they needed him since he tended to have the role of peacekeeper and lightning rod that absorbed their anger. “I guess they do.”

“You need them. They need you.” Prue turned over her shoulder and smiled. “Hold your brotherhood close. And never let any person or demon take that from you.” She led them down the hallway. They made it to the entrance to a foyer where the heat only got worse. They stopped at the foyer’s edge when they spotted Christy.

There, they found Christy floating at the base of the stairs as fire surrounded her body. The broken furniture and some of the fixtures floated too while her magic roasted the room.

Prue could feel sweat forming across her forehead even as a dead woman. “Not good.”

Joey tugged on the collar of his shirt. He found it harder to breathe as the air felt like he was inhaling fire. “What is happening?”

“I’m guessing Christy got more power. And now, her body needs time to adjust.” Prue pushed Joey to stay behind her. “We really need to get you home before she notices us.”

As the words left Prue’s mouth, the furniture and fixtures fell to the ground. Christy landed on the dusty floor with the fire retreating inside as the power that she absorbed from Billie settled. She opened her eyes then noticed them from across the foyer.

Joey gulped. “Too late.”

*~*

The attic got more crowded than before with Penny and Patty present. And they would soon deal with a plus one. 

A flash of pink light appeared as Coop returned. Coop brought Victor to the manor as they would need all the magical and non-magical help to make this plan work. 

Victor thanked Coop for the ride before stepping away. He gave everyone a hug before making his way to Patty. “Hello, Patty. You look as amazing as ever.”

Patty smiled as she hugged her ex-husband. “And you’re still the charmer, Victor.”

“Only with more wrinkles.” Penny gave Victor a playful glare. Victor learned to roll with the punches after all these years. Their relationship wasn’t as hostile as it once was, but Victor knew better than to lower his guard around his dead mother-in-law.

Piper muttered at Penny to behave.

Meanwhile, they finished gathering everything needed for the spell. Their plan consisted of using the “To Call a Lost Witch” spell again, but this time with the magic of all the Warren witches, living and dead. And they would use Prue’s proximity to Joey to serve as a mystical anchor to pull him to the manor. Then, they could focus on getting the Power of Three back so that they could stop Christy before she made her next attack.

Hank crossed his arms. “We sure this spell will work? It didn’t work the last dozen times we did it.”

“Don’t underestimate our family.” Penny pointed at Hank. “I know you’re still new to magic, but there is a reason why we have such an incredible reputation. We make the impossible possible.”

Paulina smiled. “Great! Then, let’s save Joey!”

Everyone started to join hands.

Henry took Coop and Leo’s hands. “Are you sure about us helping? We’re not witches.”

“But we’re all connected to Joey,” said Brody. “If we’re going to bring him home, then we can’t hold anything back.”

Patty nodded. “That’s right!” She turned to Wyatt and Chris. “We’re here for you, but this spell won’t work if you don’t believe in yourselves.”

Wyatt frowned. “I’m not sure if I do, but...we have to save Joey.” Wyatt took a deep breath. “I let my anger turn me against my parents.” He turned to Piper and Leo. He didn’t need to say another word to them as his tone made it clear how sorry he felt, which was all the apology that they needed to hear. “I let my little brothers down. I’m not going to fail again!”

Chris squeezed Wyatt’s hand. “I messed up too, but I won’t make that same mistake. I’m here for you, Wyatt. And I’m going to do everything I can to bring Joey home.”

“Good.” Penny handed them a knife since they finished mixing the rosemary, cypress, and yarrow root for the spell. Wyatt and Chris pricked their fingers to draw the blood that they would need. Penny took Patty’s hand as everyone gathered closer as they prepared themselves for the spell.

Even without their witch powers, Wyatt and Chris could feel their family’s magic. They took a deep breath as they led everyone in the chant.

“ _Powers of the witches rise. Course unseen across the skies. Come to us who call you near. Come to us and settle here._ ”

Wyatt and Chris spilled their blood while reciting the final lines of the spell. “ _Blood to blood, I summon thee. Blood to blood, return to me._ ” A cloud of smoke rose from the mortar, while the Book of Shadows began to glow faintly. Everyone backed up for a moment since they didn’t know what to expect from the spell.

However, something unexpected happened. Instead of Joey returning to the manor, the spell bathed Wyatt and Chris in white orbs. They vanished within the blink of the eye as the spell decided to transport them to Joey.

Piper covered her mouth. “Boys!”

Leo went to Piper and pulled her into his arms as he tried not to let his thoughts go to a darker place. “It’s okay, Piper. These are our boys. They’ll pull through.” He closed his eyes and gave a silent prayer as he had to convince himself that they could survive their fight against Christy alone.

Patty walked over to them as she laid her hands on their backs. “Leo’s right, sweetie. The boys will be fine. And don’t forget, Prue is with them too. They’ll come soon. I know it.”

Piper nodded while staring at the Book of Shadows. She hoped to see the triquetra reunite so that she could at least know that her boys had their powers back. If she could get that much, then she wouldn’t worry quite as much. They would have the means to defend themselves from Christy.

As everything worked against her family today, Piper’s eyes widened as she noticed the triquetra glowing again. It didn’t reunite, but the glow told Piper to have hope.

*~*

Christy walked towards the staircase. Christy watched as Prue covered Joey as they approached the top of the stairs. Seeing their nervousness made Christy laugh. “I’ve seen your face before.” Christy tilted her head. “So, you’re the famous Prue. The oh-so-great superwitch. What a pleasure.”

Prue smirked. “That’s me. And you’re the wicked little witch that serves the Triad.”

“Served.” Christy clicked her tongue. “Past tense. They’re dead now like you are, and I was.” She chuckled. She flicked her wrist to ignite a fireball. “Now, I’m guessing it’s time for us to end this cycle. I will end the Halliwells.”

Joey gulped. “Really? The Triad was only using you, and now they’re gone. You’re free to be anything else that you want.”

Christy smirked. “What I want is to end the family that ruined my life!” She threw her fireball, aiming for Joey.

Luckily, Prue could stop Christy’s attack. Prue threw her hand forward to pull the fireball towards her instead as she used her telekinetic energy to neutralize the fireball. Embers scattered across the dusty floor. Prue sighed since resisting Christy’s attack proved more difficult after absorbing Billie’s powers too.

Prue refused to show that vulnerability. She straightened herself up and brushed her hair to the side, playing it cool. “Is that the best you can do? I don’t see how you gave my sisters so much trouble.”

Christy glared. “Well, then. I guess that means I need to turn up the heat!” She raised her hand and unleashed a stream of fire. Prue held her hand out to hold the fire back, while Joey cowered behind her and from the heat.

Meanwhile, a pair of white lights descended from above. The lights departed as Wyatt and Chris came to view. They covered themselves too as the heat proved almost unbearable then screamed when they saw Joey. 

Joey ignored the heat and began to hug his brothers. They merged into a group hug while screaming their apologies in unison.

“I’m sorry that I was so selfish,” said Wyatt. “I shouldn’t have lashed out at mom and dad like that. I shouldn’t have let my anger get the best of me.”

“I’m sorry for blurting out your future, Wyatt,” said Chris. “And I’m sorry for ignoring you, Joey.”

“I’m sorry about shutting you both out of my life. And for not trusting you to help me with Mark,” said Joey. “And for putting the slime in your shoes when I was ten, then blaming each other.”

Wyatt and Chris pulled away from Joey as they glared at him. “You did that!”

Joey smirked. “Love you!”

“Boys!” Prue maintained her telekinetic assault even as Christy’s power proved strong enough to push Prue back a few steps. “Focus! I can’t stop Christy. We need the Power of Three!” Wyatt and Chris gasped as they realized that they got the chance to meet Prue, even under less than stellar circumstances. Prue looked over her shoulder to smile at them. “Wyatt. Chris. I’d hug you, but I’m a little busy. We can catch up after stopping this witch. Okay?”

Wyatt and Chris nodded. 

Joey grabbed onto their hands. He pulled them a few steps back to give Prue the space she needed to focus on withstanding Christy’s attack. “We have to get our powers back. We lost them because we lost our faith in ourselves and each other. I’m really sorry for my mistakes.” Joey took a deep breath. “I’m ready to do this if you are.”

“I am.” Chris turned to Wyatt.

Wyatt nodded. “Me too. I love you guys too much to lose you.”

“I love you too,” said Chris and Joey.

Prue smiled. She started backing up again as Christy began to move up the staircase. “Good! Now, prove that your bonds are as strong as ever! Recite the Dominus Trinus!”

They nodded while continuing to hold hands. They took a deep breath to clear their thoughts and focus on their connection as they recited a spell that Piper made them memorize as children. “ _Hear now the words of the witches. The secrets we hid in the night. The oldest of gods are invoked here. The great work of magic is sought._ ”

Meanwhile, back at the manor, the chandelier began to glisten. And in the attic, the triquetra on the Book of Shadows slowly began to reunite. PJ gasped as she noticed the book and told everyone to look. At the Triad’s abandoned manor, the brothers continued to recite the spell while Prue struggled to hold Christy back.

“ _In this night and in this hour, we call upon the ancient power. Bring your powers to we brothers three! We want the power! Give us the power!_ ”

The triquetra on the Book of Shadows fully reunited, the chandelier erupted with light, and beneath the brothers’ feet, a triquetra manifested. Golden light washed over the boys. Christy growled as she unleashed more fire. Christy struck with such force that she knocked Prue off her feet and pushed the fire towards the boys.

However, the flames wouldn’t touch them.

Wyatt spun back. He raised and attempted to conjure a force field, but something else happened. Instead of a large blue shield manifesting, a tiny disk of blue magic arose from the palm of his hand. The flames struck the disk, prompting the flames to rebound. The flames crashed into a blacked-out window, shattering the glass everywhere. 

The whiplash of the attack sent Christy flying towards the front door, while Wyatt stumbled slightly.

Wyatt stared at his hand. The disk manifested once more for a brief second before retreating inside of him. “That was deflection! Holy shit! I got a new power!”

“Celebrate it later,” said Chris. “We still have a problem witch.”

Joey smirked as he followed Wyatt and Chris downstairs, while they left Prue upstairs to recover. “Looks like the Charmed Ones are back and better than ever!”

“No!” Christy pulled herself up. She looked to the foyer. She found nothing to use as a weapon except for the four columns that surrounded the room. She swung her hand, breaking one of the columns from its position. She levitated the column and flung it towards the brothers as they reached the bottom step.

Chris swung his arm as he attempted to use his telekinesis to move the column. However, like Wyatt, Chris’s magic decided to respond differently. Electricity crackled along his arm. In the blink of the eye, a stream of electricity erupted from his arm to repel the column. The column crashed into a wall, bringing most of it down from the impact. 

Chris’s eyes widened while he stared at the electricity that continued to surge across his arm. “Whoa. My powers grew too. I have electrokinesis!”

Christy growled. She swung her arms again before they could think on their next move. A force of fiery, telekinetic energy ripped across the room. The windows shattered, the walls and floor cracked, and the wallpaper melted. The blast pushed the boys to the floor. Wyatt and Chris groaned as they crashed into the staircase, while Joey managed not to roll that far.

Joey slammed his fist to the ground before pushing himself to his feet. He ran after Christy to deliver a series of kicks and punches since she knew she wasn’t a competent fighter. Christy would use the telekinesis that she stole from Billie to repel his blows. However, he managed to put on a good fight even without a power advancement to give him an advantage. He managed to punch Christy across the face.

Golden sparks manifested from the punch for a brief second, but neither of them noticed it. 

Before Joey could go for another attack, Christy struck back. She grabbed onto Joey’s wrist and spun him around and pushed him down to his knees. She wrapped her hand around his throat, too, with golden light faintly manifesting from their contact.

Joey started gasping while Christy laughed. Christy leaned into his ear as smoke started rising from her hand. “You’re the weakest one, so I’ll kill you first and break the Power of Three. Then, I’ll kill your brothers and send your aunt back to the grave before going after the rest of your family.”

Wyatt, Chris, and Prue started to get up to notice Christy preparing to burn Joey alive.

Joey closed his eyes. “I...won’t...let...you...win!” He tried to break free but couldn’t free himself from Christy’s grip. He had no intention of surrendering, and it would appear that destiny didn’t want to give him either. The faintest of images and thoughts echoed across Joey’s mind, none of which belonged to him. 

However, it felt nothing like a premonition. It felt more like he was watching a movie. He saw a girl crying alone in the cage that Christy threw him into, while demons watched and tormented her. He would slowly see the girl grow up and realize that it was Christy. He saw Christy’s thoughts and memories. “Telepathy?” Joey whispered. He kept his eyes closed. If his powers advanced to where he became a telepath, then he would use these powers against Christy. He reflected the memories and painful thoughts to Christy, forcing her to relive her trauma.

The psychic backlash caused Christy to scream and release Joey as she held onto her head. Christy stumbled away and smashed another column with her fist.

Joey took a deep breath, while Wyatt and Chris helped him up. 

Prue held onto the stair rail to keep herself standing. “Joey! The spell that I gave you! Use it now!”

Taking another breath, Joey steadied himself. He could hear the echoes of Christy’s thoughts and her current state of panic, which made her vulnerable. He grabbed onto Wyatt and Chris’s hands as he projected the words of the spell that Prue gave them into their heads. They stared at Joey with amazement since they realized he developed telepathy too. 

They would celebrate their upgrades later. They set their sights onto Christy since she started to recover from Joey’s attack. And as she still wielded the ultimate power, they knew that they couldn’t underestimate Chrisy. They would need to hit her with everything they had like they did with Asmodeus.

Wyatt, Chris, and Joey squeezed onto each other’s hands as they stood their ground. “ _The Power of Three we now decree!_ ” said Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. “ _The Power of Three will set you free! The Power of Three will destroy thee!_ ”

Rays of golden light shot from their hands. The blasts rushed towards Christy, while Christy returned the attack by shooting fire from her hands. Christy’s flames managed to push their attack back somewhat, but they wouldn’t surrender. They reminded themselves of the strength of their bond and their love for one another, prompting their Power of Three spell to grow stronger.

The golden light repelled Christy’s fire. The light ripped her body apart with her screams echoing across the abandoned manor for a moment as she was vanquished once more.

Hot ash was all that remained of Christy Jenkins.

Wyatt wrapped his arms around Chris and Joey’s shoulders. “We did it! We got our powers back and defeated the wicked witch.”

Chris chuckled. “Damn right, we did!”

Joey nodded as he held onto Wyatt’s arm. “Thanks for coming to rescue me, guys.”

Wyatt kissed Joey’s head. “That’s what big brothers are for.” Wyatt released his brothers to turn around. They followed his example as they saw Prue approaching them. “Aunt Prue! It’s...it’s so nice to meet you finally.” He ran over to hug her.

Prue giggled as she hugged Wyatt. “I agree. I’m so happy that I get to meet you, boys.” She kissed Wyatt’s cheek before playing with his curls. “Oh. You turned out so handsome, Wyatt. Like your father.” She moved away from Wyatt to reach Chris. Her smile grew bigger. “And you! I see so much of myself in you, Chris.”

Chris choked on his tears as he reached out to hug Prue. “Mom tells me that all the time. Aunt Prue.” He smiled as he never thought he’d get to say those words to her face. “I hope it’s okay that she gave me your old photography equipment.”

“Of course!” Prue squeezed Chris and kissed his cheek too. “If I were still around, then I would’ve given it to you myself.” Prue pulled away. She reached out to hold Joey’s hand. “See. I told you that your brothers wouldn’t let you down.”

Joey smirked. “You were right. I should know better than to doubt my Aunt Prue.”

“That’s right!” Prue let Joey go as she wrapped her arm around Chris’s arm. “Now. Let’s get you, boys, home. I’m sure your parents are worried sick.”

They agreed. Wyatt took Joey’s hand and orbed out while Chris orbed Prue home.

*~*

Everyone remained in the attic and patiently waited for the boys to return. Piper couldn’t take her eyes off the Book of Shadows since the triquetra reunited and proved that they had their powers back. Finally, after what felt like a million years, light blue orbs appeared as Wyatt and Chris returned home with Joey and Prue. Cheers erupted with everyone appearing relieved. 

Piper and Leo rushed to Joey, throwing their arms around him. They found themselves too distracted with Joey to notice Prue’s presence. Meanwhile, Joey muttered that he needed to breathe.

After a moment, Piper released Joey. She looked over his shoulder while Phoebe walked closer, too, as their eyes found Prue. Phoebe started crying, and Piper cried harder as they hugged Prue. Prue’s eyes got a little misty also as she hugged them back. They stayed together for a moment when Prue turned her attention to Victor. She gave him a long hug, too, with Victor weeping as he got to hold his oldest daughter again. 

The attic fell silent as Prue made her rounds. She went to Leo next before she finally set her sights onto Paige. She smiled. “Hi, Paige.”

Paige gulped. They never got the chance to meet before, which left Paige unsure how to respond. She decided on something simple. “Hi, Prue.”

Prue held her arms open. “Can we hug?” There wasn’t any hesitation. Paige rushed to Prue, and they shared their first hug. Prue took a deep breath and rubbed Paige’s back. Prue pulled away slightly so that she could face Paige and her teary eyes. “Thank you for putting our family back together. And keeping our sisters safe.”

Paige chuckled. “My pleasure.” 

Prue slipped away from Paige’s grip. She greeted Coop, Henry, Billie, and Brody. They kept their greetings brief since she had more people to greet and little time left. She walked over to the cousins who all appeared shocked to see her too. “So many nieces and another nephew.” Prue smiled and held back all the tears she felt like crying. She opened her arms again. “Come in here. I have years of auntie hugs and kisses to catch up on.”

They laughed. Everyone jumped for the chance to hug Prue. Tamora and Paulina hugged Prue from both sides, making her laugh. When they released her, Prue moved onto PJ. Prue muttered how PJ looked so much like Phoebe as a teenager, which made PJ smile. Prue went over to Hank and hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Hank acted like a kid who hated being kissed by wiping the kiss from his cheek, which made Prue laugh again.

Prue flipped her hair over her shoulder. She went back to Piper, Phoebe, and Paige as Wyatt finished summarizing the fight against Christy. 

Wyatt turned to Billie. “I’m sorry, Billie. But we had to vanquish her.”

Billie sighed. “Don’t be. Christy...there was no saving her. The Triad broke her, and nothing could put her back together.” She looked over her shoulder to an old box on the ground. She waved her hand, and the box started to move better than it did before. “At least my powers are back to working normally.”

Prue rubbed Wyatt’s back. “You should be proud of your boys, Piper. They’re tough and stubborn, just like we were.”

“Yeah.” Piper shook her head. “Too stubborn sometimes.” Piper grabbed onto Prue’s hands. She finally got control of her crying and focused on the joy of being with Prue again. “Does this mean we can see each other again, or is this a one time deal?”

“I think we can arrange something.” Prue looked to everyone in the attic as Patty and Penny walked over to her. “I missed so much. And I want to know it all. Not just the gossip we hear up in the Afterlife.”

Joey smiled. “It’s almost Christmas. Maybe you can visit us again then...without bad witches or demons trying to kill us.”

Prue chuckled. “Deal.” She leaned over to kiss Piper’s cheek. She returned the same gesture to Phoebe and Paige before making her move. Her corporeal form vanished as she returned to a ghostly state. “Blessed be. Until we meet again.” They waved Prue, Patty, and Penny farewell as they returned to the Afterlife with their family reunited once more.

*~*

Meanwhile, footsteps echoed across the Triad’s manor. 

Nomed strolled into the foyer to find the havoc of boys and Christy’s battle. The manor appeared in even worse ruins than before. Not that Nomed cared. After the years of forced servitude to the Triad, Nomed wanted nothing more than to see everything that the Triad built reduced to dust like their bodies.

Nomed knelt over Christy’s ashes. He grabbed a potion vial filled with a red liquid then poured it over the remains. The liquid caused the ashes to boil until it hardened and reshaped itself into a star sapphire. He smirked as he grabbed the sapphire which didn't even cover his palm and stuffed it into his pocket.

As Nomed got back on his feet, he jumped a few steps back when he saw Lamia standing there. Despite Christy setting Lamia on fire, somehow, Lamia survived the assault.

Lamia crossed her arms over the skintight suit. She raised an eyebrow while keeping her eyes focused on Nomed. “Pray tell what you’re doing here, little demon.”

Nomed folded his hands behind his back and bowed. “Queen Lamia, it is a pleasure to meet. I am Nomed. Genー”

Lamia clicked her tongue and raised a finger. She cut him off before he could utter another syllable. “Ah, yes. Mighty General of the Hellfire Club.” She stroked her thumb across his chin and licked her fangs. “You have potential. I see why Zurie recruited you.”

“Thank you, my queen.”

That wasn’t the end of it. Lamia’s hand went for Nomed’s throat. Without even the slightest hesitation, she lifted him over her head. “But why isn’t Zurie here? Why does she send the pet?”

Nomed thrashed. He couldn’t strike against Lamia as she far outranked him. He tried to mutter an apology only for Lamia to get annoyed. She released him, allowing him to fall onto the scorched ground. 

Nomed coughed until his breathing returned to normal. “Lady Zurie is busy.” He pulled the sapphire from his pocket. “The magic of the Jenkins sisters is the key to bringing Brother Zagan back to this dimension. That is why Zurie wanted you to resurrect Christy.”

Lamia gasped. She fell to her knees and smiled while gently grabbing Nomed’s shoulders. “Zagan? Zurie found our brother!”

Nomed nodded. “Yes, my queen. An ancestor of the Jenkins banished Zagan to another dimension. We needed their collective power to bring him back.”

“Oh! Sweet, Nomed.” Lamia pulled him into a hug. She stroked his hair as she laughed. “I’m sorry for lashing out against you. My temper flared up. But I see my sister’s plan now. I should’ve known that Zurie didn’t mean to abandon me.” She started to help him to his feet. “And with my reconstitution powers, I could survive that little witch’s attack so I could see our brother’s return. Now, we only need Abiagor and Azazel to return so the Hellfire Club’s Inner Court can claim ownership of the Underworld.” She patted Nomed’s shoulder. “With our great general leading our forces.”

“I will not disappoint you, my queen.”

Lamia giggled. “I know you won’t. Zurie wouldn’t have selected you above all other demons if she didn’t think you could handle the job.” She turned her attention onto the remains of the manor. She huffed and flicked her wrist. 

Raw, psionic energy ripped across the manor to demolish much of its remains. The roof collapsed, the wall split, the stairs cracked, and the columns snapped. Lamia wanted nothing left of the manor as it stood as a symbol of the Triad’s power. Monuments to the Triad and old, evil ways couldn’t remain standing.

“We are nearing the Hellfire Club’s ascension.” Lamia took Nomed’s arm, guiding him out of a gaping hole that she created. They stepped onto a decayed garden on a cliff that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. The starry sky illuminated her pale skin, which made her hunger for blood. “Take what you need to Zurie. And do find me if you need anything else or when you bring Zagan home.”

“I will.” Nomed bowed to Lamia once more. He stepped away from her, massaging his sore neck. While working for the Hellfire Club was a million times better than working for the Triad, he still questioned this decision. He shimmered back to the Underworld to give Zurie the sapphire.

Meanwhile, Lamia stared out at the ocean and smiled. “To the Hellfire Club!”


	14. Across the Universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! Welcome to the first part of the Charmed crossovers! I'm so excited to write this even with the bit of writer's block I'm having. It should pass. I'm watching a ton of movies on Netflix to give me some new inspiration.
> 
> As for the Charmed 2018 timeline, if you're watching the show, the chapter picks up after the end of season 2.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!

Months passed since the brothers defeated Christy. Things slowed with demonic activity on the city being on the decline until today.

Light-blue orbs gathered in the attic. Wyatt held the hand of a dark-haired young man, while Chris held Joey’s hand. They appeared frantic since they narrowly escaped an attack from a wicked demon. 

Joey slicked his hair back and rushed to the Book of Shadows. “See what happens when you listen to my premonitions! They never let us down.” He flipped open the book. He started to search for the demon and muttered a prayer that he could find a vanquishing spell.

“We always listen to your visions.” Chris crossed his arms as he joined Joey at the book. He used his memory to recall the demon’s face to help with the search.

Meanwhile, Wyatt sat the young man down on a chair. “Your name’s Kasey, right?” asked Wyatt. “How are you holding up?”

Kasey shook his head. He pointed to a needle mark on his neck where some dried blood lingered. “That freak pricked me with a needle! Do you have any idea what he did? Or why he did that?”

“No clue. But I can fix that.” Wyatt placed his hand over Kasey’s neck. Golden light arose to heal the wound. “There! All better now.”

Kasey’s eyes lit up since he still adjusted to the existence of magic. “What are you, guys?”

“Witches,” said Wyatt. “Good ones. And the creature that attacked you is a demon.”

“Why did he attack me?”

“Because you’re special!” Joey pulled his face away from the book. He hadn’t found the demon’s entry yet, but he did have the page marked for Kasey. He flipped to that entry. “According to the book, you’re a magical being called an Archai.”

Kasey stood from the chair. “A what? Is that like a spider?”

Chris chuckled. “No. An Archai is something far more powerful. According to our book, the Archai are these powerful magical beings with the ability to burn holes through reality.”

“It’s believed that this race went extinct,” Joey started to read the entry, “around the early twelfth century after being hunted by the forces of good and evil. However, some have appeared across the ages. And those who can master the blaze within can manipulate nature’s fabric to travel across any plane of existence.”

Kasey’s jaw hung open as he approached the altar. He stared at the image of a fiery, black hole that did not indicate what an Archai looked like. Except now, he only needed to look at a mirror to know it meant him. He gulped. “What about the demon?”

“Still searching.” Joey started flipping through the pages again when they gasped. “That’s him!” He pointed to the book with everyone agreeing as they recognized the bronze-skinned demon with golden eyes. “Urci. An upper-level demon that forces people to consume their heart’s desire until it kills them. However, in recent centuries, Urci’s abdicated his role as he seeks to reunite with his lost partner who was banished to another dimension by witches.”

Wyatt nodded. “We have a demon and the motive too.” He looked to Kasey. “If Urci is looking to reunite with his partner, then that explains why he targeted you. He’s looking to use your powers.”

Kasey could see the logic. “But...until today, I didn’t even know that I had powers. Not that I wanted to, but how could I even help this demon?”

“By force!” A demonic voice echoed across the attic. Wyatt threw up his orb shield to cover them as Urci flamed into the attic. The flames vanished once Urci fully materialized with his leather-clad clothing. He flicked his wrist to conjure an energy ball. “Hand over the Archai, Charmed Ones. And I’ll let you leave alive.”

“Really?” Chris clenched his fists. He stepped beside Wyatt, while Joey covered Kasey. “We’re the Charmed Ones! You should be the one cowering in fear.”

Urci squinted his golden eyes. “I cower before no one!” He reached into his pocket. He had a small wand with a ruby gem that he extended outward. The gem glowed, which led to Kasey screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Kasey!”

Kasey fell to his knees and held onto his head. A fire burned in the middle of the attic with it creating a strange gravitational pull. However, it didn’t pull any of the furniture, only them. The fire broke Wyatt’s concentration and his barrier. Urci tried to grab Kasey, but Chris shot an electrical blast that shoved Urci towards the portal. The portal’s gravitational pull dragged Urci into its dark, fiery depths.

However, Kasey lacked the self-control to close the portal. The portal’s pull only got stronger, which dragged them into the portal too. They couldn’t hang onto each other as the portal pulled them in too fast before they could think. 

The portal swallowed everyone with the flames vanishing, while the Book of Shadows flipped back to the entry on the Archai.

*~*

On another Earth, a battle would begin soon enough to protect their world’s magic.

SafeSpace, the communal workspace, fell to the corporate schemings of its owners. The talented pool of small entrepreneurs and dreamers got forced to vacate under the guise of remodeling when, in actuality, greed sought the power contained beneath this ground.

Julian Shea, a handsome tech guru, descended the staircase from his temporary office to the ground floor. He glared at the workers in dark gear as they brought a stronger drill down to the building’s pipe room. “I want that amber!” Julian fixed his jacket’s collar. “Are you any closer to breaking down that wall?”

“No, sir. We’re trying again with something stronger.”

“Ugh.” Julian rolled his eyes as he grabbed his phone from his pocket. “Get it done.” 

Meanwhile, a trio of witches would do everything in their power to deny Julian his wish. They knew that if he got their hands on the Black Amber beneath SafeHouse, then he and the Faction would have all the power they’d need to unleash hell upon the magical world. The Black Amber could grant a great deal of magical power, which is why the Charmed Ones would do everything that they could to defend it.

Peaking around the corner, Maggie Vera stepped into the blindspot of the magical detectors. Her brown hair swayed while looked to see Julian and his men get to work. “Macy. I really question your poor choice in men.”

Macy Vaughn huffed while tying her dark curls with a scrunchy. “Oh? You’re going to judge me? The girl who nearly married the Demonic Overlord.”

Mel Vera chuckled. She stopped herself from laughing more as she glanced at her sisters. “Girls, remember why we’re here. It’s to slow Julian down and keep the Black Amber in the Command Center safe. We can’t let wannabe-Elon Musk get it.” Macy shrugged since she knew Mel targeted her for dating Julian, while ignoring Maggie's chaotic relationship with Parker. 

They huddled closer together so that they could put together a strategy when the magical detectors screeched. 

“What!” Maggie looked around them. “But we’re nowhere near the sensors.”

An explosion of fire rippled across the ceiling. Everyone at SafeSpace ducked as a fiery, black hole manifested. Five bodies fell from the hole and landed across the building. 

Urci got to his feet first as he saw that he wasn’t too far from Kasey. He made his way towards Kasey when a worker got between them. “You won’t stand in my way!” Urci summoned an energy ball and blasted the worker. The worker’s body became engulfed in electricity as Urci shocked him to death.

Kasey started to roll onto his side. “Help!”

Julian glanced at Urci from across SafeSpace. “Who the hell is that! Stop him!”

A few workers tried to go after Urci, but Urci reacted quickly in blasting them with energy balls. Their armor did little to protect them from a demonic attack. If they didn’t die instantly, they got blasted across the building.

The battle escalated with the sisters watching. 

Kasey ran from Urci since the armed workers distracted Urci. Kasey shoved someone away before screaming again as a headache attacked him. A fiery portal opened from nowhere which Kasey dove headfirst into, much to Urci’s frustration.

“Damn it!” Urci vanished in flames. 

Meanwhile, Maggie noticed the brothers attempting to go after Kasey before he vanished. The workers got in the brothers way next. She saw Joey knifehand strike one of the worker’s throat when Chris yelled at Wyatt. “Wyatt! Freeze them!" Wyatt flicked his wrist. Everyone in SafeSpace went completely still, which reminded the sisters of Mel’s former time manipulation powers. 

The sisters stepped around from the corner, while the brothers gathered together. The brothers noticed and almost panicked until they realized why Wyatt’s powers didn’t affect them. And since the sisters weren’t attacking them as Urci did, they assumed they were witches too.

Joey pointed at them. “Witches?”

Macy nodded. “Witches.”

“Oh, thank god!” Wyatt walked over to them. “I hate to admit that the Charmed Ones need help, but we need help rescuing an Innocent.” He noticed the sisters staring at him with wide eyes. He started laughing. “Yeah. We’re the Charmed Ones.”

“No, you’re not!” said Mel. “We’re the Charmed Ones!”

They stared at each other, both sides confused since two sets of Charmed Ones couldn't exist. However, they didn’t have time for debate. They could hear banging outside of SafeHouse, then a set of two-way radios going off to signal backup would arrive soon.

Chris shook his head. “We can argue later. Do you have somewhere that we can hide?”

“Yeah.” Maggie grabbed a teleporting marble from her pocket. She gestured for everyone to get close as she slammed it to the ground to open a portal into the Command Center. The brothers hesitated for a second before following the sisters inside, with the portal closing immediately behind them.

With them gone, Wyatt’s freezing power deactivated as Julian and the workers could move freely again. Julian stumbled towards another worker while the reinforcements started arriving, much to everyone’s confusion.

*~*

“Where the hell are my sons!” Piper’s voice echoed across the attic. She paced frantically when Brody broke the news that he could no longer track the boys. It left her processing the same panic that she had when demons kidnapped Joey.

Piper tried to get her breathing under control. She contemplated summoning Prue’s ghost to track them since Brody and the Elders would prove useless to her again.

However, Brody would pop that bubble. Brody grabbed onto Piper’s arms, which he quickly regretted. She nearly blew him up and only managed to save himself by keeping his distance. “It’s okay, Piper! They vanished together so where they are, they’re together, which means they’ll still have the Power of Three.”

“Unless they ended up in the past!” Piper stomped over to the Book of Shadows. She would find the answers for herself.

She almost turned the page when she noticed the entry on Archai had a bookmark. She paused for a moment since she assumed it had some type of involvement with her boys and why they were missing. “An Archai. A being that can burn holes in reality.”

Brody’s eyes widened. “An Archai!” He rushed to Piper’s side as he stared at the entry. He read it over as he recalled his Whitelighter training. “The boys must’ve found an Archai. These beings are neither good nor evil. That means it’s possible that they tried to protect the Archai from a demon. And if the Archai lost control of their power, then it sent them to another dimension.”

“Another dimension.” Piper shook her head. “Could the Elders find them?”

“I’m not certain, but I can ask.” Brody placed his hand on Piper’s shoulder. “I’ll go now and see what I can do up there. I’ll let you know right away if I find out anything.”

Piper nodded as she watched Brody orb to the Heavens. Her heart sank as she didn’t know if he could bring back good news or if she’d ever see her sons again.

*~*

A burst of magic erupted as the marble’s portal opened inside the Command Center, beneath SafeSpace. The sisters led the brothers out, allowing them to examine their base of operations freely. The brothers gasped as they examined the dark chamber to find its library and potions room across from them and a massive world map in front of them with hundreds of blinking lights.

The Command Center appeared, unlike anything that the brothers had seen before. It reminded them a little of Magic School, but far more high-tech. 

Wyatt whistled. “Nice place. But where are we?” He walked over to the monitor where an old leather-bound book rested. He instinctively reached for the book. Macy and Maggie tried to warn him not to touch it, but Mel stopped them since she wanted to test a theory. Their eyes lit up as they saw him touch the book without any trouble. “Is this your Book of Shadows?”

Mel curled her lips. Macy smirked when she saw how annoyed Mel appeared. Macy walked over to Wyatt, gesturing for Chris and Joey to join them. “That’s actually the Book of the Elders,” said Macy. “It is a tome written by the Elders, a group of senior witches.”

“Witches?” Chris stuffed his hands into his pockets as he looked at the sisters. “The Elders aren’t senior Whitelighters?”

Maggie shook her head. “No. Why? Is that what the Elders are where you come from?”

Joey nodded. “Yeah. Wow! I guess we’re really not in Kansas anymore!” He looked to the world map to see enough similarity between their dimension and the sisters’ dimension. “Kasey’s portal must’ve taken us to another Earth. An alternate one with different Charmed Ones.” Joey would’ve found this far more amazing if their circumstances didn’t leave him concerned about how they’d return home. Something else dawned on him, too; they never introduced themselves. “Oh! And I’m Joey. That’s my older brother, Chris. And that’s my oldest brother, Wyatt.”

“I’m Maggie. And these are my older sisters, Macy and Mel.”

“Why are you here?” Mel blurted as she took the Book of the Elders away from Wyatt. “No offense, but you clearly don’t belong in our world.”

Wyatt cringed. “Offense taken.” He turned to Macy and Maggie since he could see that they’re the nicer sisters. “That young man, Kasey, is why we’re here. We were protecting him from a demon but got sent to this world in the process. Kasey is a being called an Arachi; he has the power to open portals across reality.”

“Did someone say an Arachi is here?” Footsteps echoed into the Command Center. An older man in a suit joined them, which the sisters expressed familiarity. The sisters introduced him as their Whitelighter, Harry. Harry greeted the brothers but wasn’t too shocked when Macy mentioned that the brothers were also Charmed Ones. “Astonishing. I never thought I’d be in the presence of another set of Charmed Ones.”

Maggie leaned closer to Harry. “You knew that there are other Earths with more Charmed Ones?”

“Of course. There are infinite realities. Some of which you visited when Macy had the Source’s essence.” Harry turned to the brothers. “Now. Are you certain that this young man is an Arachi?” They nodded. “Oh, dear. Then we must find this young man quickly. Under normal circumstances, the Arachi are dangerous. But with the Faction running around, we can’t afford them to learn of this young man or his powers.”

Macy gasped. “If the Faction got their hands on Kasey then they could attack magical beings on other Earths.”

“Right.” Mel ignored her apprehension of letting the brothers work with them, given the situation. She grabbed the Book of the Elders as she decided that they should regroup at their house to discuss a plan.

The brothers followed the sisters and Harry since they didn’t know where else they could go in this alien world.

*~*

Kicking his feet onto the desk, Godric glared at the demons before him. He stroked his bearded chin before deciding that enough was enough. “What do you mean that you still haven’t found Abigael! You can’t let that little bitch get away from us!” Godric slammed his fist onto his desk. “She is crafty. If she doesn’t get help from her pet Charmed Ones, then she’ll find someone else.”

“We apologize for failing you, Lord Godric,” said a frightened demon. “We’ll find her. Nothing will stop you from becoming Overlord.”

Smoke rose from Godric’s hand. A few sparks cracked as he almost ignited a fire to vanquish the demons that failed him. “Nothing can stop me.” Godric snuffed the flames. “Do not return again without her. Alive or dead.”

The demons nodded as they began to leave the office. 

Godric turned to look out the window. He stared at downtown Seattle and started his next plans. He had some awareness of this Faction attacking SafeSpace, which he knew that the Charmed Ones protected. He wasn’t sure how involved he should get since he also knew that the Faction attacked demons. “What to do. What to do.” He went to his bar cart to fix himself a whiskey neat.

However, peace didn’t linger for Godric. He sensed a spike in energy that felt neither demonic nor witchy in nature.

A fiery, black hole manifested into the office. Kasey stepped from the portal and fell against a nearby wall with tears pouring from his eyes. Kasey begged Godric for help, not that Godric was inclined to do such a thing. 

A spike in demonic energy captured Godric’s attention. Urci flammed into the office with his face beaming as he stared at Kasey like dessert.

Urci waved the wand to activate its hold onto Kasey. The ruby glowed, which caused Kasey to faint on the spot. With Kasey unable to fight, Urci could claim his prize. He would glance at Godric as he noticed the other demon. “Sorry for bragging into your space,” said Urci. “I’ll be out of your hair in a moment.”

“Wait!” Godric pointed his glass of whiskey at Kasey. “That boy. Those flames. Is he an Arachi.”

Urci clenched his fist. He would fight Gordic if needed, without any hesitation. “That depends.”

Godric smirked. “Your powers. They’re different too. You’re not of this world, are you?”

“I come from another Earth. I unfortunately, brought some good witches known as the Charmed Ones with me. But now that I have my Arachi, I can finish them off.”

“Charmed Ones?” Godric left his glass on the cart. He started to pour another glass of whiskey for Urci, which Urci accepted without thinking twice. “There are Charmed Ones on this Earth too. And they’re a pain in my ass.” They clinked glasses together, while Kasey remained unconscious. “I could use some help in killing them. In exchange, I can help you kill yours.”

Urci chuckled. “No need. Once I find my partner, Zagan, then no Charmed Ones can stop us.”

“Zagan!” Godric shook his head. “You mean Lord Zagan? He is a lord amongst demons that was trapped in another dimension.”

Urci frowned from this news. “No...he is trapped here too.”

“But I know where he was banished. There are infernal grounds that demons control built over the point where Zagan was banished. Your Arachi can break that barrier to restore Lord Zagan. And, again, I can help you in exchange.”

“For killing your Charmed Ones.” Urci sipped his whiskey. He thought about it for a moment and decided to play along with Godric. “It’s a deal.”

They clinked glasses once more in recognition of their unholy alliance.

*~*

The sisters brought the brothers to their home. The Vera Manor had a craftsmen touch that reminded the brothers a little of Halliwell Manor. Although, they’d say that Vera Manor was far larger.

They spent the night discussing their worlds. They shared stories of their families and battles, and how their Power of Three functioned. They learned of the many differences between their worlds, but also how deep the similarities went. The brothers learned that Melinda Warren did exist on this Earth, but there wasn’t a Halliwell family. And the sisters learned of a world where Charmed Ones could live. While the Charmed legacy had a hopeful future on the brothers’ Earth, they discovered that the Charmed legacy spell death and destruction on the sisters’ Earth as the Power of Three always destroyed the sisterhood.

It left the brothers feeling uncertain of themselves that a fate like that could befall them. They considered its possibility, especially considering how close they were to meeting their doom because of Rennek and Christy. Meanwhile, the sisters saw some hope for themselves as they knew that the brothers’ mom and aunts got to live happily ever after.

Upstairs, Maggie brought Joey into her room. They learned of their shared gift of premonition, which meant that they stood a chance at divining Kasey’s location. However, they found themselves spending more time chatting than working.

They sat on the wooden floor with the bright lights of Maggie’s vanity lights illuminating the bedroom. 

“Tell me more!” Maggie scooted closer to Joey. Maggie found an easy time bonding with Joey given their shared powers and experiences, but she also bounded with Chris and Wyatt too. Their closeness in age helped Maggie from the alienation she felt with her sisters as she felt like the brothers could get her a little better. “Your aunt married a half-demon, almost birthed the antichrist, divorced him, and killed him. Shit. And here I thought I had the fucked up love life.”

Joey chuckled. “Well, your half-demon boyfriend tried killing you and your sisters a couple of times. It sounds pretty fucked up to me. And, my ex was a warlock who tried to rape me before sacrificing his life to save me from his evil father and their demonic god.”

Maggie paused for a moment. She recalled the story of Mark, which prompted her to nod. “Yeah. We have issues with our love life.” She gently held onto Joey’s hand. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that stuff. I can’t imagine how horrible that feels for someone so young too.”

“It’s fine...I’m mostly fine now. Plus, I got my big brothers protecting me.”

“Good.” Maggie turned to the amethyst and moonstone gems on the floor, which she brought from the attic to amplify their premonition’s strength. She grabbed them so that they could focus on their divination efforts. “We should try again. As much as I love chatting since it reminds me how much I wanted a little brother, we got an innocent to save.”

Joey nodded as he took the moonstone. “Yeah. I always wanted an older sister. My cousin PJ is a few months older, but it’s not the same.” Maggie reached out to hug Joey as she informally adopted him as her brother.

*~*

In the kitchen, Mel worked with Wyatt on brewing some potions. Wyatt tried passing on his potion mastery as he did all that he could to help Mel in the kitchen, but she kept trying to brush off his suggestions.

Wyatt stepped away from the stovetop. He grabbed a handful of cashews from a nearby bowl and started to snack on them. “You know, I am capable of helping. I’m a whiz when it comes to potions.”

“Sure, you are.” Mel stirred the pot of green liquid. “I don’t need a younger guy to mansplain how to brew potions.”

“Mansplain? That’s not what this is.” Wyatt ate the last of the cashews in his hand. “I’m sure you’re great with potions, but you’re also self-taught. I learned from the best. The greatest woman that I’ve ever known.” Wyatt grabbed a pinch of diced ginger to add into the pot when it started to boil over. The additional ginger helped to calm the boiling pot. “My mom is a potion master, a self-taught one too. She taught me everything that she knew so that we wouldn’t have to struggle as she did. The struggles that she went through with her sisters, it left them vulnerable to demonic attacks. That’s why she passed everything to my brothers and me so we can keep each other and our cousins safe.”

Mel stared at the pot since she didn’t know about the additional ginger trick. Her potions always boiled over and made a mess, which left her concerned that she would mess up the batch. “Sorry. I still struggle with men around.” Mel sighed. “It’s probably leftover abandonment issues from my dad. Even Harry is sometimes a victim to my wrath.”

“It’s cool.” Wyatt chuckled. “My mom’s dad walked out on her and her sisters too. Well, my great-grandmother actually drove him out after my grandmother died since he wanted to raise them mortal, but my great-grandma wanted them to become witches.” Wyatt tried to recall his family’s past. It was a messy one too the more that he thought about it. “They had a hard time mending the fences. My mom’s oldest sister, Prue, died not long after things got better between them.”

“Family’s really aren’t that easy.” Mel got Wyatt to help her pour the potion into a few vials. “Now, I have my fears over being Charmed because of what it could do to my sisters. I don’t want to lose them, especially since I had a fear of losing my mom when I first came out. It’s funny how upset my mom first got. Even though she was this badass feminist, she didn’t handle her daughter being a lesbian that well. At least for the first hour. She got over it, and we went out for ice cream.”

“Really? My parents took me being bi pretty well. And they’re cool with Joey being gay too. Then again, we're from San Francisco.” Wyatt placed the corks onto the vials. He helped Mel shake the vials to help the potion finish brewing. “Now, I’m not sure how they’d take me being a sex worker. They already had a fit when I refused to go to college. And me going into trade school only made things slightly better.”

“You’re a sex worker?”

Wyatt nodded. “I film with men and women. I actually make pretty decent money, which helps fund my band, since a lot of people get off to seeing a jock-looking guy like me take on such submissive roles. I submit to people scrawnier than me, fatter than me, older than me, and more.”

Mel listened carefully with her graduate courses causing her to kick into analysis mode. “So you’re a badass super witch on your world, but you’re also sub? You fall into the trope of powerful men who give up sexual power in the bedroom. Why do you do it? Is it to feel powerless?”

“No. I actually feel more powerful.” Wyatt smirked as he started to think more on his sex life. “I feel powerful because I’m giving my trust to others. I’m sharing my power. Letting them feel powerful for a change.” Wyatt chuckled. “Wow! That really broke down my sexuality.”

Mel patted Wyatt’s back. “You’re actually pretty interesting. If I went back to grad school, I could use you for an analysis of bisexual male sexual submission.” She gasped at the thought. “It would be a great dissertation topic!”

Wyatt laughed. “Help me save our innocent first, then you can sit me on the chair, Freud.” 

“I prefer Foucault. But point taken.” Mel scooped up the potions and had Wyatt help stuff them into bags. 

*~*

Almost a day passed on the brothers’ Earth. Piper became more of a frantic mess with Leo attempting to keep her calm even as he slowly lost his mind too. They notified the family even as they knew there wasn’t much they could do in this scenario to bring the brothers home. The only bit of news they got was when Brody briefly came to them this morning to tell them that the Elders have an idea on how to find the brothers.

The ring of the doorbell pulled Piper and Leo away from focusing on their research. Piper left Leo to study the Book of Shadows so that she could deal with whoever was at the door. The ringing continued. Piper opened the door to find Rahul on the other side. He kept his backpack on as he held onto a workbook and a packet.

Rahul smiled. “Hi, Mrs. Halliwell.”

“Hi, Rahul.” Piper glanced at everything in Rahul’s hands. She called the school earlier to call in sick for Joey, using the excuse of food poisoning again. “Is that Joey’s homework?”

“Yes.” Rahul gave the stuff. “How is Joey feeling? Is he getting any better? Can I go up to see him?”

The rush of questions didn’t surprise Piper. She got used to how attached Rahul appeared with Joey the few times that he came to the manor. She found it odd at first, but it later dawned on her as she thought a bit more like an empath. “Not quite. He’s sleeping now.” She looked over her shoulder when she heard Leo whisper her name. Leo whispered Brody’s name. 

Rahul didn’t pick up on anything since he heard about Brody before as a family friend. Rahul assumed that meant Brody was coming for a visit. “Alright. I guess I’ll get out of your hair. Bye, Mrs. Halliwell. Bye, Mr. Halliwell.”

“Bye, Rahul,” said Leo.

Piper grabbed onto the door handle. “Thanks, Rahul, for coming over. I’ll tell Joey to call you when he wakes up.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Piper closed the door as Rahul left. She smirked. “That boy needs to admit he’s got a crush.” She left the homework on the hallway table before rushing back into the living room. She prayed that Brody had some good news for a change.

Brody returned from the Heavens with a young, shaggy-haired Elder beside him. Piper stepped back since she didn’t expect to have an Elder in her house, especially one that wasn’t Sandra. However, it took a second for her brain to recognize the young man. 

“Is一Kevin?” asked Piper.

“Hi, Piper.” Kevin smiled. “It’s good to see you again. Although, I wish it were under better circumstances.” Piper laughed. She recalled the young man that she and her sisters protected years ago from the demon Arnon. And after briefly becoming superheroes because of Kevin’s thought projection powers, they saved him and allowed Kevin to fulfill his destiny of inheriting the Elder Ramus’s position.

Kevin’s robes shuffled as he stepped closer. “I have some good news...and bad news.”

Piper sighed. She went over to Leo, holding onto his hands for support. “You can’t find the boys.”

“We did. They’re on another Earth.”

“Another Earth.” Leo laughed. “That’s why we can’t track them. Different dimensions are one thing, but another Earth has different rules for magic.” Leo thought of his days as an Elder. His brain buzzed to figure out why Kevin would have bad news. “If it's another Earth, can’t you contact your counterparts?”

“Counterparts?” asked Piper. “You mean the Earth that they’re on has Elders there too?”

“Had.” Kevin sighed. “That’s where the bad news kicks in. When we attempted to contact the Elders of that Earth to help bring the boys back to our Earth, we got no response back. We did some digging and learned that the Elders of that Earth were all killed.”

Brody frowned. “Without the other Earth’s Elders, the boys will need the Arachi to bring them back here.”

Kevin nodded. He looked at Piper and Leo, noticing the fear on their faces that their sons might never return home. However, he wasn’t done sharing what the Elders learned yet. “There is still some hope.” Kevin poked his forehead. “I managed to project a piece of myself to this other Earth to find the boys. While I couldn’t communicate with them, I did find them. They’re safe. And what’s more important is that they managed to find the Charmed Ones of that Earth.”

Piper and Leo gasped. “Two Powers of Three.” Piper smiled. “Is that enough power to bring them back?”

“I’m certain. They’ll come home soon, but they’ll likely want to rescue the Arachi first.”

Leo squeezed onto Piper’s hand. “Thank you, Kevin. I guess all we can do now is be a little patient and wait.” He turned to Piper. “We can manage that, right?”

Piper rested her head against Leo’s chest. “Yeah...we can wait.”

Kevin decided to take his leave. He said his farewell and orbed out of the manor with Brody doing the same to give them some privacy.

*~*

While everyone got busy at the Vera Manor, Chris sat with Harry and Macy in the Command Center as they drank their tea. Harry explained to them everything that he knew about Arachi. Chris recalled most of it from the Book of Shadows, but the emphasis of good and evil hunting down Arachi because they would break the barriers between dimensions. Harry warned them that Arachi in ancient times would accidentally unleash eldritch beings that threatened both good and evil.

“These beings had no alignment to the Gods or the Primordial Demons,” continued Harry. “It prompted much backlash from the magical world. It risked exposure to humans that even the magical community agreed to extinguish the Arachi for the protection of everyone.”

Chris cringed. “Eldritch beings. That sounds like something from a Lovecraftian nightmare.”

“Actually, that is close.” Harry reached for his tea. “If the Lovecraft of your Earth is like the one on ours, then he likely encountered echoes of these slain eldritch beings.”

“Not good either way.” Macy folded her hands onto her lap. She read some of Lovecraft’s stories to know of the twisted horrors from his imagination and would hate to encounter them in real life. “We have to rescue Kasey. And how about his control over his powers? Do we need to consider binding them?”

Harry sighed. “I’m not sure if binding an Arachi’s powers is possible. But it is worth considering if Kasey cannot exhibit enough self-control. As a precaution.”

“Precaution.” Chris could see the need to use a binding spell on Kasey if necessary. However, the thought of a binding spell and taking essential precautions made him think of Macy and her sisters’ situation. “Is it possible to bind the Black Amber tree beneath the Command Center? Or relocating it?”

“Neither option is plausible,” said Harry. 

Chris shook his head. He should’ve seen those options as not possible. “What about...hiding it then? The wards around the Command Center are slowing down the Faction’s progress, what if we try something stronger? Like creating a warp that prevents unwanted visitors from entering. It’ll throw intruders back to SafeSpace.”

“That’s close to what the wards do now.” Macy turned to Harry. “But something like that could work, right? If we had enough power to make it work.”

Harry curled his lips and thought if anyone could accomplish such a task. “Maybe. That sounds possible with two sets of Charmed Ones.” 

Chris and Macy gave each other a thumb’s up. However, they needed to cut the discussion short as the Command Center’s alarm activated. Macy and Harry rushed to the monitor to discover that a witch was under attack.

Macy zoomed in on the map. “A demon attack. And the witch is in Chicago.”

“We should get moving,” said Harry. “I’ll get the others.”

“No need.” Chris tilted his head back. “Wyatt! Bring everyone!”

Within a moment, light-blue orbs gathered into the Command Center. Wyatt brought the others with him as they also came armed with potions. Macy smirked as she grabbed a marble to bring them to Chicago and directly back to the Command Center. 

Macy tossed the marble to the ground with everyone jumping into the portal.

*~*

The unholy alliance between Godric and Urci proved deadly. Well into the middle of the night, they cornered a young, female witch outside of the Alder Planetarium. She approached Lake Michigan as she thought the proximity to water would keep the demons away. However, she was mistaken with such a myth as Godric and Urci had no issue with the water. 

She fell close to a railing. Her dark eyes wide from terror as Godric and Urci manifested fireballs.

“Is this the right target?” asked Urci.

Godric tossed his fireball, which exploded near the witch. She screamed, which caused a flash of blue light to rush out from her body. It made Urci’s fireball grow larger without any effort on his part. Godric raised his eyebrows. “That’s the one,” Godric smirked. “A witch with the ability to amplify another’s powers. She is exactly what we need to guarantee that the Arachi can release Zagan from his prison.”

Urci licked his lips. “Marvelous.” He reached out to grab the witch when an explosive blast drove him back. He growled when he looked over his shoulder. It caught Gordic’s attention too when they saw both Charmed Ones coming after them with Harry following.

Wyatt flicked his hands again to blast Urci across the walkway.

Mel kept pace. “Your powers are molecular-based, right? So I should be able to do that too.”

“With a little practice.” Wyatt shifted his gaze onto Gordic. He could sense the powerful demonic aura that Godric naturally radiated that matched Urci in power. “I take it, that's Godric. You’re wannabe, Demonic Overlord.”

“Wannabe!” Godric huffed. He snapped his fingers. A dozen demons suddenly teleported to the planetarium’s grounds. They proved ready for a fight. “It might not be official, but the demons will gladly serve a pureblood like me. And they have no problem with killed witches. Not even Charmed Ones.”

“Or not.” Macy waved her hand with Chris following her example. They unleashed a telekinetic blast that hurled Godric and a few of the demons back.

The remaining demons charged after them. Maggie and Joey tried to block who they could as they relied on their combat training to punch and kick the demons from getting any closer to the witch.

Meanwhile, Harry healed the witch of the minor injuries that she received and left the others to fight.

Mel flicked her fingers to freeze a demon’s feet in ice. The demon struggled to break free, not that he could. Wyatt blasted the demon’s feet, shattered much of his limbs. The demon fell to the ground and screamed a storm until Wyatt blasted the demon again, vanquishing him.

Macy pushed a demon that tried to attack. She flicked her wrist to shove the demon further, while Chris blasted the demon with electricity. Chris shocked the demon until his body finally became consumed in flames. 

Maggie pulled her baton from its sleeve and bashed a demon’s face. As the demon stumbled, Joey spun around to kick that demon’s spine. The demon collapsed. Joey grabbed the green potion that they brew and tossed it at the demon, burning him alive with vicious green fire.

More of the demons started to fall even as Godric commanded more to appear. “Grab the witch!” shouted Gordic. “We need her power!”

A demon kicked Chris in the chest. He crashed against the railing. The demon came after him again only for Macy to fling the demon into the lake. Chris groaned as he held onto his chest. He turned to Harry. “Get her out of here! We’ll follow.”

Harry nodded. Before he could grab the witch to orb her out, Urci tossed an energy ball at him. The energy ball struck Harry’s chest. While it didn’t kill Harry, the energy ball did leave him unconscious.

“Harry!” shouted Macy.

Wyatt had Mel grab his hand. He channeled magic from her too before flinging his hands once more. He generated a freeze that stopped most of the demons but a few more kept moving. “Fall back!” He ran towards the witch with Mel. He held onto their hands as he orbed them back to the Command Center. 

Chris tried to get Joey and Maggie to come after them. However, with Wyatt gone, the remaining demons became unfrozen. Macy tossed Maggie the marble so that they could escape as she told Chris to orb them out. Chris nodded as he took Macy’s hand with the light-blue orbs surrounding them.

Maggie reached for the incoming marble only for Godric to throw a fireball that shattered the marble. “No!” Maggie started backing away to get closer to Joey and the unconscious Harry. “How are we supposed to get out of here now without Harry to orb us?”

Joey shook his head. “I don’t know. I might be able to use my telepathy to trigger his powers, but I’ve never attempted something like that, and it could kill us if I fuck up.”

Urci and Godric gathered the demons as they had their chance to break the Power of Three. All they needed was to kill one witch from each family to break the links.

“Wake up, Harry!” Joey slapped Harry across the face. Tiny sparks of golden light came from Joey’s hand, but it was too dark for him even to notice. 

“Kill them!” ordered Urci.

Maggie gulped as she knelt over to Joey and Harry. She shook Harry to get him up, but nothing worked. Joey rested his hand on Harry’s chest too with the golden sparks igniting once more, as they watched with wide eyes as the demons flung their fireballs. Harry's eyes started to flutter open as he tried to quickly process the scene but struggled.

A burst of white light manifested to create an orb that pulled Harry, Joey, and Maggie as they orbed back to the Command Center before it was too late.

The fireballs impacted the ground, generating a small fire that died out as quickly as it appeared. 

Urci clenched his fist. “The witch and the Charmed Ones got away! Now, we have to find another damn witch with the same power.”

Godric folded his arms across his chest. “No...I have another idea. There’s still a chance for us to bring Zagan back soon. I will still need your help.”

“I will only help you because it helps Zagan.”

The demons backed away while Godric looked at Urci closer. “What exactly is your relationship to Zagan? You’re not the typical partners.”

Urci glared. “None of your business.” He started walking away from the planetarium with Godric and the demons following. “Now, what is this plan?”

Godric nodded and began to share his idea to free Zagan with Kasey’s powers at their current level.


	15. Power of Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey howdy howdy! Welcome to part 2 of the crossover and what I'm picturing as the season 2 finale. I've already plotted out the next fifteen chapters which are going to get even more intense as the Hellfire Club and a new enemy take a more active role in the story. The training wheels are off for the brothers!
> 
> As for the Charmed 2018 cast, I have another two chapters or so where they'll appear but that is later into the fic. No need to worry about them now!
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

An orb of white light erupted inside the Command Center with Harry, Maggie, and Joey materializing after escaping Godric and Uric at Chicago. They fell to the ground from the exhaustion of the fight and the rushed orbing. Maggie recovered the quickest, while Joey looked a bit light-headed and Harry remained half-conscious. 

Wyatt rushed over to healing Harry, while Mel helped get the witch that Godric and Urci targeted to safety. The golden light started to reverse the damage Harry suffered while everyone gathered closer. “Damn! You took a big risk at orbing like that. I know the rules are different on this Earth, but you could’ve ended up at the Arctic.”

“No.” Harry recovered enough strength to move with Wyatt rushing to finish the job. “I didn’t orb us. Joey did it.”

Joey squinted his eyes. “Excuse me? How? I can’t orb, especially not the way you do.” Joey tilted his head. There was only one way that made sense to him how he could’ve orbed them. “Did I use my telepathy to channel your powers? I shouldn’t be strong enough to pull that off yet. I’ve only had these powers for a few months.”

Harry sighed. He leaned against Macy, who helped him to a chair. They all had their eyes on Joey since they found Harry’s words confusing. Harry knew that he’d need to explain himself, mainly because Joey didn’t know the truth about himself. “Try reading someone’s thoughts. Anyone in the room.”

“Okay.” Joey concentrated as he targeted Maggie. He wondered what he could dig from Maggie’s head, but found nothing. No, it wasn’t that he found nothing. He couldn’t hear anything like he didn’t have his powers. “There’s nothing there!”

Maggie glared. “Excuse me! I have thoughts!” 

“No!” Joey shook his head. “I meant my powers! They’re gone.”

“What? How?” asked Chris.

“They’re not gone. You never had telepathy.” Harry pointed at Joey. “I felt it when you touched me. You absorbed my power. At least, a tiny fraction of it. Try orbing.” Joey nodded. He closed his eyes and vanished into an orb of white light that left everyone in the room speechless as he reappeared. Harry grinned. “But it appears that at your current level, you can only absorb one power at a time.”

Macy folded her hands over her lap. “That sounds pretty handy. It might even help us with rescuing Kasey.”

“Which means we need to figure out Godric and Urci’s next move.” Mel rejoined them once she finished helping the other witch. She stuffed her hands into her pockets. “This Urci guy is tough, but now that he’s working with Godric, things got more dangerous. Godric staged a coup to start a takeover of the demon world. Them working together is a disaster for us.”

“Very bad.” Wyatt sighed. “It’s late. We should get some rest.”

Maggie gestured the brothers to follow her so that she could get them to the sisters’ house. Macy would join them too as they left in orbs, while Mel and Harry stayed behind to help get the witch to somewhere safe.

*~*

The next morning, the sisters wandered into their kitchen to find a feast in the works. They stared with wide eyes while the brothers shuffled across the kitchen to prepare breakfast while Harry sat in the corner, drinking his usual morning tea. 

Macy took a deep breath. “Are those waffles?”

Wyatt spun around with a bowl of batter and a steaming waffle iron. “We got blueberry waffles. And chocolate chip waffles!”

“I love you, guys!” Maggie rushed into the kitchen. She grabbed a few pieces of pineapples that Chris cut up for them. “Can you stay forever? And take care of all our housework.”

“We can’t stay forever.” Chris looked at Mel. “So, Harry told us that you got Donna back to Chicago. And she willingly stripped her powers.”

Mel went for the coffee, watching Joey make a mountain of scrambled eggs. “Yeah, she’s safe now. Godric and Urci will have to find another witch with amplification powers. Or figure out a new evil plan. Which I’m sure they will.”

Joey turned the burner off and moved the eggs to the side. He shuffled across the kitchen to grab a pink notebook. “Speaking of evil plans! We decided to give you a little present to help you fight your big bads.” He handed the notebook to Mel. “It is a copy of our family’s Book of Shadows. Well, an incomplete one.”

The sisters grinned. Mel started to skim the pages while Macy and Maggie looked over her shoulder. 

“We figured that you couldn’t rely on our information about demons,” continued Joey. “So we focused on recreating our potion recipes and some useful spells that might help you. We also included our family’s strongest spell.” He took the notebook back from Mel for a moment before turning it to the final entry that they tilted ‘To Summon the Vera Matriarchs.’ He smiled. “This spell is the one our mom and aunts used to vanquish the Source of All Evil in our reality, and we also used it to vanquish a primordial demon. This is your last resort spell.” 

“Wow!” Mel had some tears in her eyes. She looked at her brothers, totally second-guessing the thoughts she had about them before. “This is so thoughtful. You didn’t have to do this. Or make breakfast.”

“Please!” Wyatt placed the last of the waffles onto a plate. “Our mother would kill us if we did anything less. Let us be gracious guests.”

Maggie grabbed a waffle and moaned from the deliciousness of it. “You are the best guests ever! You’re welcome here whenever.”

Macy and Mel grabbed a waffle and found themselves delighted by the taste.

They gathered at the table with Harry. They chatted as they attacked the feast that the brothers prepared.

However, their discussions shifted when they heard a knock at the door. Harry got the door for them and a moment later, a tall, dark-skinned man with a small afro. 

“Jordan!” said Maggie. “What are you doing here?”

Jordan Chase squinted his eyes. He stared at the brothers for a second with Macy taking a moment to introduce everyone. The news of another Earth left him stunned. “This reads like a comic book. Next thing you’ll tell me that there are 52 Earths in the multiverse.”

Wyatt leaned across the table and smirked at Jordan. “More like an infinite number. Pre-New 52 rules.”

Before Jordan could geek out, Mel got into the conversation. “Get to the point, Jordan. Why are you here so early in the morning?”

“Right!” Jordan shook his head. “I got a text from Swan. She gave me a heads up about another drill. Julian is going after the Command Center again. And Swan also said that Vivienne would be there to supervise.”

Macy gulped. She hated going after Julian again, but she really loathed the thought of facing against his evil aunt. “Thanks for the heads up, Julian. Let’s go stall them again.”

Chris turned to Harry. “Do Whitelighters use memory dust on this Earth?”

“No,” said Harry. “But I could help you with the ingredients if it's something you can make.”

Chris smirked. “Good because I have an idea of how to protect the Command Center.”

*~*

SafeSpace would fall to chaos once more.

Julian stroked his goatee while descending the staircase next to his Aunt Vivienne. Vivienne held herself with a frightening level of grace that spoke of the intelligence behind her dark-blue eyes. Her auburn hair swayed. She gazed at the slight damage that the building suffered from the Charmed Ones and demons’ previous attack.

“These boys,” said Vivienne, “are you certain that they appeared from nowhere?”

“Of course.” Julian rolled his eyes. “After everything we’ve seen, you think I’m making this up?”

Vivienne shook her head. “Now, Julian. I’d advise you to hold that tongue of yours. I am only looking to get all the information.” She fixed the collar of his shirt since it curled up a little. She patted it down while muttering that he needed to remember to take his clothes to the dry cleaners. “Alright. So, do you have any idea who these boys are?”

“No.” Julian sighed. “I’m guessing one is a demon, but the other four are a mystery. Maybe witches. Have we encountered male witches before? Or are they called warlocks?”

“Who knows.” Vivienne walked towards the basement. “Right now, we need to break down that wall. Is the new drill ready?”

“It better be.”

They approached the basement when they heard someone scream. They looked up to the second floor as they spotted Wyatt orbing in front of another worker. Wyatt pulled a handful of memory dust from a bag and blew it to the worker’s face. The worker immediately fell asleep while Wyatt orbed away. 

“That’s one of them!” said Julian.

However, before anyone could do anything else, Julian and Vivienne saw more orbing. Chris and Harry targeted other workers with Joey joining them as he still had a fraction of Harry’s orbing power. They blew memory dust into the workers’ faces, causing them to fall asleep.

Vivienne stared at them wide-eyed. They couldn’t do anything to slow the guys down. “They’re moving too fast! And what are they doing to them?”

“Putting them to sleep,” said Macy.

Julian and Vivienne spun around to see Macy standing behind them with Maggie and Mel. The sisters kept close. Macy held onto the necklace that Julian gave her, carelessly allowing it to dangle from her fingers. Julian could see the faint glisten of the necklace and knew what it meant, especially after learning the truth about her and her sisters.

Julian gulped. “Macy…”

Macy shook her head as she didn’t allow herself to cry. She wanted to believe before that Julian was only a pawn of the Faction, but she knew instead that he was an architect and intentionally targeted the magical community of this Earth. “I’m sorry for what happened to your family. I really am.” She spoke softly as she didn’t mean them any disrespect. “However, you’ve done too much harm and need to be stopped. We want to try this the easy way. Hopefully, you won’t push us to take more drastic actions.”

“Drastic?” said Vivienne. “Do you intend to murder us?”

“No.” Macy swung her hand. A blast of telekinetic energy ripped from her hand that projected a white aura over Julian and Vivienne that left them immobilized. “We’re going to erase your memories.” Mel and Maggie rushed at them to blow a batch of memory dust into their faces. Macy swung her hand once more to release them with the memory dust putting them to sleep once more. Meanwhile, the last of the workers and guards collapsed to the ground. Meanwhile, Macy tossed the necklace to the sleeping Julian, tossing aside the last of her feelings for him.

Maggie took a deep breath as she looked around to all the sleeping people. “We should rename SafeSpace to Nap Central.”

The guys orbed into the scene with their bags empty now. Chris nodded as he caught Maggie’s comment. “Agreed. Now, didn’t they say something about a drill?”

“Right!” Mel guided them towards the basement. “Time for a little sabotage.” 

They approached the boiler room that served as the entrance to the Command Center. They found a high-powered drill there that could do some considerable damage. They weren’t certain if the drill could do anything against the Command Center’s magical protection, but they wouldn’t risk it.

Wyatt cracked his neck. “Stand back. I got this.” He flicked his wrist. He unleashed an explosive blast that destroyed part of the drill. The explosion did enough damage to leave the drill inoperable and would slow the Faction’s plans down for a while longer. For good measure, Chris blasted the drill with a surge of electricity to fry its circuits.

Joey patted Wyatt’s shoulder. “Great job! With that done, we can focus on rescuing Kasey.”

“Right.” Harry gestured for everyone to enter the Command Center. “I have an idea of how we might find Kasey.” 

*~*

They spent most of the time in the Command Center searching for any peculiar signs of demonic activity and preparing for battle. Chris and Macy stuck to the monitors, Wyatt and Mel brew a few more potions, and Maggie and Joey memorized combat spells. Meanwhile, Harry orbed somewhere to find someone that might help them.

About an hour later, Harry returned with an elderly blonde-haired woman in a colorful shawl. The sisters immediately recognized the woman as they called her Celeste. The brothers gathered near Celeste with Celeste taking a close look at them.

Celeste sighed. “Well, this is a surprise.” She kept looking at the brothers. They felt as though she was picking them apart like a clock or some other machine. “Harry told me that Charmed Ones from another Earth came to our world. I’m still surprised to see that you’re men.”

Joey tried to smirk since he wasn’t sure how to interpret Celeste’s words. “I take it that only women can use the Power of Three?”

“No. But that is the case with many Earths, at least the ones that the other Elders and myself saw.” Celeste unwrapped her shawl and left it on a chair near the computer. “Although, we did see an Earth where a young woman and her brothers invoked the Power of Three to vanquish an angel of darkness. And there is another Earth where anyone, despite their relation, can wield a force much like the Power of Three but only if they proved their worthiness before the divine.”

“And how do you know all this?” asked Chris.

Mel pointed at Celeste. “She’s a retired Elder. Remember, Elders are senior witches on our Earth.”

Celeste looked over her shoulder. “Yes. _Senior_.” She coughed for a moment before manipulating the computer’s map. The computer responded to show a blinking light over New Mexico. “Demonic activity is growing in New Mexico. Oh! That location.”

Everyone approached the monitor. Maggie covered her mouth. “Isn’t that where the Sanctuary of Zagan is?”

“Zagan?” asked Wyatt.

“A powerful demon that entered our world in the nineteenth-century,” said Celeste. “However, we uncovered that he entered our world from your Earth after a witch banished him. And it is on those grounds that a previous generation of Charmed Ones banished him once more.”

Joey nodded. “That’s who Urci is after. He made Kasey open a portal to this Earth for a reason. It must have something to do with Zagan!”

“He wants to bring him back and take him to your Earth,” said Harry. “And Godric would use Zagan’s return to grant him more legitimacy amongst the demons to become the new Demonic Overlord.”

Mel sighed. “I can’t believe that asshole is making me miss Abigael.” She pushed a button to trigger a teleporting marble to materialize. “Should we get a move on?”

“Wait!” Celeste raised her hands, urging them to slow down before they left. “You need a plan. These demons are dangerous enough, and having an Arachi active is a bad sign. But if they succeed in releasing Zagan, then you will face a demon of great power. Someone that the Power of Three could only banish, not vanquish.”

Macy curled her lips. The thought that they might not have enough power to stop Zagan crossed her mind, but a smile would appear on her face as her scientific brain took over. “If the Power of Three isn’t enough to stop Zagan, then we have to hope the Power of Six is.” She looked at the brothers who appeared more than willing to join them on this mission.

*~*

The Sanctuary of Zagan appeared as a demonic temple. The white columns appeared as a stark contrast to the dark banners draped across the rocky walls and dark fire that burned from the torches. Godric gestured for the demons that he brought with them to drag the half-conscious Kasey to an altar.

The chill of the obsidian altar sent a sharp chill across Kasey’s body, forcing him fully awake. Kasey started to trash while the demons pinned him down. He screamed when he saw Urci approaching then forced a purple liquid down his throat. Urci massaged Kasey’s throat, demanding him to swallow.

After failing to capture Donna, Godric and Urci decided to take more drastic measures to release Zagan from his prison. They would force the amplification of Kasey’s powers so that he’d have no choice but to use his powers to release Zagan.

Urci slipped a star sapphire from his pocket that didn’t even fit in the palm of his hand. He waved the control wand in front of Kasey’s face, unleashing its controlling effects. Kasey screamed as a wave of fiery energy rippled across his body.

Godric smirked. “It looks like the potion’s working.” He turned towards archaic symbols painted on the walls. He felt a humming of demonic energy before glancing back at Kasey to see fiery energy rippling. “Not bad for a Plan B.”

“Not at all.” Urci waved the wand. The magic forced Kasey to unleash more of his power. A fiery portal manifested near the archaic symbols but shifted in appearance. This portal didn’t appear as the usual fiery black holes that Kasey generated. It shifted into a swirling vortex of violet energy where a dark mist seeped. “I feel you. I feel you, my love!”

“Love?” Godric raised his eyebrow. “Zagan is your lover?”

Urci nodded. “We were together for centuries before that filthy witch banished him to this Earth. But I will free him.” He held onto the sapphire and smiled. “This gem contains the power of the witch’s descendants: the Jenkins sisters. I got it from a demon that serves Zagan’s family. With it, I will break the seal!” He prepared to toss the sapphire only to feel something restrain his arm. He couldn’t move, which astonished Godric since he wasn’t involved in stopping him.

They looked behind them to find the Halliwell brothers and Vera-Vaughn sisters. Chris and Macy held their hands and telekinetically restrained Urci.

Godric groaned. “Not you again.” He snapped his fingers, ordering the demons to attack.

Four demons descended from the altar. Wyatt led the others into the fight, while Macy and Chris focused on restraining Urci. 

The fight began quickly. Maggie and Joey took one demon’s twice their size in hand-to-hand combat. They had enough training that they could hold fend off the demons but lacked a proper active power to do much damage. Joey ducked a punch then punched his demon in the groin, while Maggie blocked a punch then turned the demon’s momentum to flip him to the ground.

Mel stepped away from a red-headed demon. She kicked over a torch to set fire to the ground. The demon started backing away, which gave her the chance she needed. She flicked her hand to accelerate fire’s molecules to make it grow larger. The flames touched the demon’s shoes, and the flames rushed along his body. The demon howled as the flames swallowed him whole. She flicked her hand once more to slow the flame’s molecules to the freezing point, leaving the demon trapped in a constant state of pain until she kicked the statue to shatter it.

Wyatt kicked his demon. The demon bounced back and tackled Wyatt, causing them to crash against the wall. Wyatt growled and slammed his foot onto the demon’s foot then headbutted the demon. The demon covered his injured head, while Wyatt flicked his fingers. Wyatt blasted the demon with an explosive blast that repelled him towards the violet portal. 

Godric and Urci almost flipped out as the demon would endanger Zagan’s return. However, the portal obliterated the demon instead, causing blood and guts to cover the ground. 

“Gross.” Joey kicked his demon before tossing a potion at the demon that caused the demon to explode. He grabbed another potion and did the same to the demon that Maggie fought as she punched the demon once more to keep it from fighting back. Maggie stepped away as the potion struck the demon, vanquishing it too.

“Fuck!” Godric attempted to grab the sapphire from Urci when Macy turned her telekinesis on him next. He struggled against her power but noticed Urci getting a bit more movement back as only Chris retrained Urci. “You will not stop us! Zagan the Great shall rise!” Godric squinted his eyes to shoot a blast of fire from his eyes. 

The fire approached Chris, which prompted Macy to flick her wrist to protect Chris from the fire. Her telekinesis blasted the fire towards a banner, turning it into ash. However, it allowed Godric to take the sapphire and toss it towards the portal.

The sapphire exploded when it impacted against the portal. A surge of fiery energy rippled across the sanctuary that pushed everyone back a few inches. Kasey fell from the altar and rolled down the steps with Maggie and Joey going to his aid. Urci didn’t pay them any attention since the plan worked. 

Tears trickled from Urci’s eyes. “Welcome back, love.”

A demonic wind surged across the sanctuary with a dark-gray eye appearing from the portal. The eye blinked for a moment that showed a sign that Zagan would return soon.

Wyatt shook his head. “How do we stop Zagan from returning now?”

“A little luck.” Chris went into his pocket to grab a potion. “And some skill!” He threw the potion with telekinetic force. The potion sailed across the sanctuary and blasted Urci at full force. The potion blessed with the Power of Three managed to vanquish Urci upon impact, not that Urci noticed he met his demise. Urci kept smiling, even in death, as he believed in his success in releasing Zagan.

The wand fell to the ground, cracking in half. The wand lost its control over Kasey, but that alone wasn’t enough to stop Zagan’s return.

Godric turned to see Urci fall and saw everyone drawing closer to him. “You’re too late, Charmed Ones. We’ve won!”

Mel shook her head. “Not yet! It isn’t over until Zagan takes his first breath.” 

Maggie and Joey turned to each other, nodding. They had a plan in store that they discussed moments before leaving the Command Center. They went to their siblings and grabbed their hands, telling them to repeat after them. 

Maggie squeezed Macy and Mel’s hands. “ _The Power of Three will set us free! The Power of Three will set us free!_ ” Maggie’s words echoed with Macy and Mel knowing what to do next. They joined Maggie in reciting those words three more times. “ _The Power of Three will set us free!_ ” A blast of white light erupted from their hands to crash against the portal, a demonic howl escaping from the opening.

Joey glanced at Wyatt and Chris for a moment before looking at the portal. “ _Potentia Trium! Potentia Trium!_ ” Wyatt and Chris followed Joey’s example and joined him in the spell. “ _Potentia Trium!_ ” They felt a surge energy ripple across their arms. They broke their hand contact as blue orbs manifested that shot lightning when they aimed it at the portal.

They recited each other’s Power of Three spells, fusing their magic in a way never attempted before. If the Charmed Ones were to undo Urci and Godric’s damage, then they would need to take drastic actions.

The portal began to recede from the force of the spells.

Godric howled. “No! Damn it all!” He vanished in a cloud of smoke. 

Meanwhile, they continued to press onward. They approached the altar and unleashed more of their collective power. They could hear Zagan’s howling from the opposite end of the portal, which told them that they were winning. They unleashed the Power of Three of two Earths, applying more pressure until the portal exploded in a flash of silvery light. 

They got blown across the sanctuary with the ground rocking beneath them. The portal vanished and left no evidence that Zagan escaped. Their cheers echoed across the sanctuary as they saw their victory.

Kasey’s eyes fluttered open. He smiled when he saw the brothers and felt a little confused seeing the sisters for the first time, but he was glad that Urci was gone. “Can someone explain to me what happened?”

Joey nodded. “We will. Let’s get somewhere safe first.”

*~*

The marble’s portal opened inside the Command Center. Everyone stepped outside, relieved that they pulled off what they feared a suicide mission. They led the exhausted Kasey out of the portal and helped him to a chair so he could rest. Wyatt got to work on healing him, while everyone else spread the good news to Harry and Celeste.

“Urci is dead,” said Chris.

Mel nodded. “And Zagan is still sealed away.”

Celeste sighed from relief. “Good. That is one less thing for us to worry about. And I can go back to retirement.” She turned to Harry. “Would you orb me back?”

Harry was about to take her hand when Joey interrupted. “No need.” Joey went into his pocket to hand a potion vial with a silvery liquid to Celeste. “Teleportation potions. They were for our emergency exit, but they’ll get you home too.”

“Lovely.” Celeste stepped away. “Blessed be, Charmed Ones. Both of you.” She tossed the potion to the ground, and the potion consumed her in a cloud of smoke, teleporting back home.

Wyatt finished healing Kasey. “All better again.”

Kasey smirked. “Thanks. Again.”

Macy crossed her arms. “So...I guess this means you can get home.”

“Yeah.” Maggie’s voice had a sad tone. “I’m really going to miss you, guys. And not just for the delicious cooking.”

Chris chuckled. “Maybe we should talk about a yearly crossover then.”

Harry urged them not to tamper with the delicate fabric of time and space. He joined Wyatt in helping Kasey to his feet. “Crossing Earths is a dangerous thing. You could create a spillover of mystical energy if you keep making these visits happen. It is best for the multiverse if you stay on your Earths.”

A collection of moans escaped everyone since they enjoyed their time.

Wyatt patted Kasey’s arm. “I guess that means you need to open a portal back to our Earth.”

“How?” asked Kasey. “I’m not exactly in control of my powers.”

Wyatt shrugged. “Click your heels and say ‘there’s no place like home’?”

Chris rolled his eyes. “We’ll help you.” He took Kasey’s hand while urging Wyatt and Joey to help out too. They held hands and closed their eyes. They allowed their Power of Three to mix with Kasey’s Arachi powers to create a fiery portal.

The flames appeared and craft a dark portal that shifted to show an image of Halliwell Manor.

“Home!” said Joey. “I guess that means we better get going.”

“Yeah.” Chris turned to the sisters. He smiled. “Thank you for everything. And, in case things with the Faction get worse, we left you a spell that you can use to destroy the Black Amber so it can’t fall into their hands. It’s called the Nexus Vanquishing Spell.”

“Thanks.” Macy held onto Mel and Maggie’s hands. “We’ll keep that in mind.”

“Bye, guys,” said Maggie. “Come back whenever.”

Mel laughed. “And ignore Harry’s advice not to destroy reality.”

Harry rolled his eyes at their disregard for his advice.

Wyatt clapped his hands and squinted his eyes. A thought popped into his brain. “Maybe it isn’t time for takeoff yet. Would you like to meet some older Charmed Ones?”

*~*

“Breathe, Piper! Breathe!” urged Phoebe.

Over a day past since the brothers got trapped on the other Earth. And a day of not knowing her sons’ wellbeing left Piper a very anxious mother.

Piper paced around the sunroom. Phoebe, Paige, and Leo’s words did little to calm Piper down. She wouldn’t budge from her concern that it left her almost a hyperventilating mess. She barely got any sleep and would freak more if she could. 

“I am breathing!” screeched Piper when Phoebe tried to reach out again. Phoebe backed away as she went to the couch.

Paige smiled as she finished pouring a cup of tea for Piper. She passed the tea. “Here, Piper. Drink something. It might calm your nerves.”

Piper took a sip. The hot liquid didn’t help much, but the heat distracted her from the crippling anxiety. “What if the boys can’t come back?”

“They will,” said Paige. “Your kids know that they can’t stay away from you for long.”

“That’s right.” Leo got up from the couch and hugged Piper without making her spill the tea. He kissed her forehead. “I’m sure that they’ll come back any minute now. Just have a little faith in them.”

Piper sighed. She took another sip when the room suddenly got hotter. She turned with the others looking towards sunroom doors as a blazing portal manifested. They backed away since they didn’t know what to expect, but their faces would soon light up when they saw the brothers emerging from the portal. Chris held hands with Kasey, helping Kasey to safely cross over too. 

Piper and Leo started crying when they saw their sons. 

Phoebe covered her mouth as she held back tears, while Piper embraced her sons. “Wow, Leo. You really timed that well. Want to help me buy a lotto ticket?”

Before the portal closed, the Vera-Vaughn sisters crossed over too. Their presence left everyone, except for the brothers and Kasey stunned. 

Joey smiled as he pulled away from Piper and Leo’s warm hugs. “Mom. Dad. Aunties. Allow me to introduce you to Macy, Mel, and Maggie. The Charmed Ones.”

Jaws dropped with no one certain of what to say, while the Vera-Vaughn sisters smiled. 

*~*

A box of tissue got passed around the sunroom for the Vera-Vaughn sisters. Maggie needed most of them, but even Macy and Mel had their hard hearts softened from the stories that Piper, Phoebe, and Paige shared. The legacy of the Charmed Ones on the Vera-Vaughn sisters’ Earth spell certain death for the sisterhood, but they learned something valuable from the story of the Halliwell family.

They learned that they held the potential to defy destiny.

Mel brushed her tears aside. “Wow...thank you so much for sharing your stories.”

“Of course.” Piper reached to hold Mel’s hand. “It’s important that you know that there is something to hope for. It never felt like we could catch a break back when we were the Charmed Ones, but we still found light even in the darkness.”

Macy nodded as she stared at the wall of family photos. “A lot of light, clearly. I...I honestly gave up on a good future when we learned the truth about our destiny. But hearing your story, it tells me that we still have a chance.”

“You always do.” Paige chuckled while smiling at Macy. “But it’s not going to be easy. You will have to fight for tooth and nail for the future that you want.”

Maggie took a handful more tissues to clean her face. “Anything good is worth fighting for, right?”

“Exactly.” Phoebe rested her hand on Maggie’s shoulder to help calm Maggie so that she wouldn’t start crying again. “And...another bit of advice, when it comes to love, go for it. But avoid the demon boys. They’re usually not worth the trouble.”

Piper laughed. “You hear that, Chris?”

Chris rolled his eyes. He squeezed into a couch with Leo, Wyatt, and Joey. “Yeah. Whatever. Bianca is also a witch. Andー”

“And!” Wyatt covered Chris’s mouth. “And we should get you back to your Earth. We wouldn’t want Harry to worry.”

“Right!” Mel got on her feet with Macy and Maggie following. She turned to Piper. “Again, thank you so much.”

Piper smiled as she hugged Mel. “Not a problem. Thank you for keeping my sons safe.”

Kasey stepped into the sunroom after taking a nap. He felt strong enough to attempt to open the portal, but the brothers still stepped in to help. They joined hands with a fiery surge of magic opening on a window. A portal manifested that reflected the inside of the Vera-Vaughn with Harry on the other side. Harry could see them and started waving as he appeared relieved to know that they would return soon.

Macy, Mel, and Maggie turned back. They muttered their goodbyes again and exchanged quick hugs with everyone.

Maggie kissed Joey’s cheek. “Bye, little bro!”

Joey chuckled. “Bye sis!”

Macy hugged Chris. “Thanks for all the help.”

“Anytime,” said Chris. “I also left the memory dust recipe with Harry in case you need it for Julian again.”

Mel poked Wyatt’s arm. “Don’t forget if I go back to grad school.”

Wyatt nodded and gave Mel another hug. “You can put me to the chair, doc.” 

Mel and Macy went into the portal first, while Maggie took a second longer. Maggie waved at everyone. “Hey! So maybe we can make this crossover happen again?”

“A yearly thing?” suggested Chris.

“Sounds good!” Maggie gave a thumb’s up. “Until next time!” She jumped into the portal with Kasey closing it behind her once she was safely home. 

The portal disappeared with a few sparks dancing across the tiled floor. The sparks died out and brought the end to one epic adventure.

*~*

The next day, Joey made his way to Rahul's neighborhood. After Piper told him about Rahul's visit, Joey felt compelled to do something about the situation. He couldn't deny that he had a bit of a crush on Rahul too. It took a bit of convincing on his part to get Piper to chill enough to let him leave the house after getting lost on another Earth.

Joey approached the colorful townhouse and knocked on the door. He knew that Rahul's parents were at work, so they'd have no one to interrupt them from chatting.

It took a moment before Rahul opened the door. His face lit up immediately. "Joey! Hey! You're all better."

"Yeah." Joey chuckled as he folded his hands behind his back. "I'm a hundred percent now."

"Um...you could've texted me, and I would've told you that I didn't have any more homework for you. It would've saved you a trip."

Joey shook his head. "Actually, I wanted to talk. Is that okay?"

Rahul nodded as he stepped aside so that Joey could come inside, but only after taking off his shoes. Rahul led Joey into the living room where he was watching some anime on Netflix. They squeezed onto the navy-colored sofa with Joey looking around the very modern decor palate of Rahul's parents. It didn't have the same cozy feel of his house, but the minimal furniture gave a very clean appearance.

Rahul pulled a leg onto the couch. "So, what do you need to talk about?"

"Us." Joey blurted. He didn't feel the need to drag things out, especially given his past romantic history and since he spends his life punching demons in the face. "My mom noticed something when you visited, something I've noticed too. You like me."

"As a friend!" Rahul rushed into saying. However, Joey raised his eyebrows. The confrontation made it clear to Rahul that Joey could see through the attempt at deflection. "Okay. I really like you. More than a friend. And it's cool if you don't like me back! I'm sorry if I've been creeping you out! And-"

Joey cut Rahul off with a kiss. Joey gave Rahul a gentle kiss that left Rahul speechless. Instincts took control from there. Rahul placed his hand onto Joey's lap and pressed his lips back. 

Joey pulled away and smiled. "I like you too."

Rahul started grinning like a dork. He stammered, trying to find the words to express his joy and all the thoughts brewing when Joey cut him off again. Joey rolled onto the sofa and rested his head on Rahul's lap, telling him to start the show. Rahul nodded and pushed play. Rahul kept grinning as he enjoyed this beautiful moment with Joey, while still figuring out what this would mean for them.

"If I order us a pizza, does that make this a date?" asked Rahul.

"It would." Joey patted Rahul's leg. "Do you need me to move?"

"I never want you to move," Rahul blurted out. He smacked himself in the face because of how ridiculous that sounded, while Joey chuckled.

*~*

However, things would not end happily ever after.

At Sanctuary of Zagan, another surge of silvery energy exploded from the spot where the portal previously manifested. With no one present, no one would notice or sense a crack within reality. A dark mist slipped from a crack in reality then ignited a fiery portal as it absorbed the lingering magic of Kasey and the Charmed Ones.

The mist traveled across the multiverse until it manifested on the empty streets of San Francisco on the Halliwell’s Earth.

The mist coalesced to form a human shape. A male figure emerged from the mist, fully nude. His chiseled features rivaled the beauty of Michelangelo's David as he bore a lean, youthful physique. A cascade of golden curls grew from his hair that highlighted his flawless appearance. He took a deep breath and blinked his dark-gray eyes to see the brightly lit city.

“Different,” he muttered, his deep voice cracking from the strain of not properly speaking for ages. “This is different.”

“Hello, brother.” Zurie appeared behind him with a black cloak draped across her arms. “It’s been centuries, Zagan.”

Zagan grinned. He slowly walked across the street until he stood before Zurie. He leaned over and kissed her cheeks. “Too long, dear sister.” He graciously accepted the cloak. He wrapped it over his naked body and allowed the luxurious feel of the fabric to distract him from the trauma of his imprisonment. “Urci. I felt his presence, then it disappeared. Is he?”

“Vanquished. By the Charmed Ones.” Zurie took Zagan’s arm, and they strolled down the street together. “I am sorry for your loss, brother. I warned him of his death, but he wouldn’t stand down. There is nothing more that he wanted then to bring you back.”

A tear descended from Zagan’s eye. “I will avenge Urci. I will spill the blood of Charmed Ones and laugh as they slowly die.”

Zurie chuckled. “Easy brother, we still need them. We can’t afford to kill them until we bring Abigor and Azazel back into the fold.” She guided them into a dark alleyway. 

“What of Lamia?” asked Zagan.

“She is here!” Lamia stepped out from the shadows of the alleyway. Not that she feared the sunlight, but she preferred to make dramatic entrances. “Brother! It is so good to see your beautiful face.” She rushed to kiss him. “You look famished! Should I get you blood from a newborn?”

Zagan smirked and licked his lips. He poked Lamia’s nose. “You always knew the way to my heart, Lamia.”

“Yes!” Zurie applauded. “We shall hold a feast in honor of your return. Then, we can discuss some important matters. You’ve been gone for ages, Zagan. You’ve missed so much. And while many of our old enemies have fallen to the Wasteland, we gained some powerful new ones.”

“And they will fall too.” Zagan reached for Zurie and Lamia’s hands. “Shall we dine in Hell?”

Zurie and Lamia chuckled. They vanished into flames as they descended to the Underworld to begin the next phase of the Hellfire Club’s wicked plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be prepared for another time skip. In the next chapter, Joey's graduating from high school which means we're getting into more adult Charmed adventures. Things will slowly get more violent and sexier.


	16. Rock On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, ya'll! So I wanted to give an update that the semester is about to start in a few weeks which means I'm going back into teaching mode. I'll keep trying to post once a week but I'm not sure how well I can do that.
> 
> Also, this chapter is a bit on the softer side. The next fourteen chapters are an intense rollercoaster so I wanted to give you a chance to breathe before the next phase of the story starts, including with the teaser for this chapter's final scene. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

The clock neared zero for Dying Liberty’s three-year deadline to make something of themselves.

Wyatt frantically paced the living room of their musky apartment. He ignored Vinnie and Gordon telling him to calm down since their musical future hung in the balance. If Steve’s health didn’t turn around, then they were done.

“Sit down, Wy!” Vinnie plucked the string of the bass. “You’re making me anxious.”

“You should be anxious.” Wyatt stuffed his hands into his back pockets. He grew his hair out more, allowing it to cover his face. A black hair tie kept things from getting out of control. “What if Steve doesn’t get any better? We can’t perform without a lead singer! And neither of us has the range that Steve does.”

Gordon squeezed his drumsticks. He couldn’t hide the worry in his eyes. “Wyatt has a point. If Steve’s lost his voice, then we’re fucked for the show. We can’t perform. And we kiss the agent and record deal goodbye. There’s no convincing our parents of supporting us if we’re doing SoundCloud.”

Vinnie shook his head. “Fuck! Now, you got me scared.”

Wyatt kept pacing. It only got worse as he let the thoughts go wild. He started wishing for a demon or a warlock to appear so he’d have something to punch in the face.

The front door’s lock clicked. They looked across their shoulders to see a tired Steve step inside with a prescription bag in hand. 

Vinnie bit his lip. “Please tell me those are antibiotics for chlamydia.” 

“I wish.” Steve rubbed his throat as it hurt to speak. He walked over to the couch but kept his distance from Gordon and Vinnie as best as he could. “I have strep.”

Gordon and Vinnie got up from the couch. Wyatt’s head hung low. “Fuck!”

Steve nodded. “I feel twelve again. It feels like there are knives in my throat.”

Wyatt looked away. The temptation to heal Steve proved great, but it was too dangerous for him to act. The risk of personal gain could bit them in the ass worse than the strep. “Damn it! We’re so close! We can’t drop out of the show.”

“But we’re a week away from the show. That’s not enough time for Steve to bounce back,” said Gordon. “Who do we know that can sing and knows our songs or can learn them fast enough?”

“I’d suggest Jessica,” said Vinnie, “for the chick factor, but she can’t hold a note to save her life.”

Steve took a lozenge from the bag and popped it into his mouth. The soothing sensation only served to numb the infection mildly. “What about one of your tricks, Wy? Can you pick some Castro twink?”

“Castro twink?” The suggestion clicked. Wyatt smiled and could think of one twink that could save them. “I know someone.” He stroked his chin. “It’ll take every bit of charm that I have to convince him to help us.”

*~*

The front door of Halliwell manor opened. Joey stepped inside with bags in his arms. He kept the door open as Rahul joined him, who carried a few more bags.

“I get why my car is full of bags,” said Rahul, “but it’s not like you needed anything.”

Joey huffed. He started to kick off his shoes while balancing his bags. “You’re not the only one going to college. I need new clothes too. I have to show off my cute butt to my professors and TAs.”

Rahul rolled his eyes. He followed Joey upstairs into the bedroom. “Did you forget that I’m still your boyfriend? I haven’t left for Princeton yet.”

Joey stopped on the stairs and leaned back to kiss Rahul’s cheek. “I know. Love you.”

“Love you too.” 

They dumped the bags on the floor. Joey scrunched his face since he didn’t feel anyone’s magic or hear anyone else, which gave them privacy. He closed the door.

Since graduation a month ago, Joey got a bit bolder in how he ran the streets with Rahul. And with Princeton happening, Rahul’s parents toned down their protectiveness, which let gave Rahul and Joey to make the most of what little time they had left. Even with the clock ticking on their romance, they promised to make the most of it.

Rahul sat on the edge of Joey’s bed. He rubbed his hands on his lap—a bit of sweat trickling down his round face. “You know, it’s probably not too late. You got accepted the Princeton too. I’m sure that they’d still accept you if you fought hard enough.”

Joey smirked. He shrugged off his t-shirt before climbing onto his bed. He laid on his side, rubbing his foot against Rahul’s back. “The Ivys aren’t for me. I don’t want to take space from someone more deserving.” Joey watched as Rahul started coming closer. He licked his lips. “Besides, I’m still figuring out me. I can do that at a more affordable school.”

“But一”

Joey kissed Rahul. “We talked about this. I’m good here. And you want to be an engineer, which is why you need to go.” Of course, Joey didn’t mention he couldn’t leave. He was a Charmed One after all. He reached to tug on Rahul’s shirt since they had another reason to make the most of their time. They wanted the first time that they had sex to be with each other. “You’ll do great at Princeton.”

“I know.” Rahul didn’t shuck away anymore. He used to get nervous about showing his body to Joey since he was fatter. But Joey made Rahul feel amazing about himself. “So...should we today?”

“Yeah.” Joey reached for his bedside table to get a bottle of Vaseline and a condom.

However, before things could get any hotter or heavier, a knock at the door terrified them. “Joey! I need a favor!” Wyatt’s voice boomed, and the door opened as Wyatt stepped inside.

“Get out!” shouted Joey.

Wyatt caught Joey and Rahul in bed. He jumped outside of the room. “Oh shit! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Wyatt looked back for a moment since he realized that they still had clothes on, and his eyes darted to the Vaseline bottle. “Oh, Joe. Didn’t you pay attention in sex-ed? Vaseline breaks a condom. Use lube.”

“Out!” Joey threw himself off the bed while Rahul covered himself with a pillow. Joey ran out the door, pushing Wyatt out.

“Wait! I have a favor to ask you! Steve has strep, and we need a singer for the show.”

Joey stopped. He glared at Wyatt, but his brains buzzed with the thought of performing to a real crowd. “You need a singer?”

Wyatt dropped to his knees with his hands clasped together. “Please! I’m begging you. We need a singer who knows our songs and can carry a high note. You’re our only hope.”

Joey looked back into his bedroom, where Rahul waited. He knew that the romantic night wouldn’t happen at the manor and they couldn’t go to Rahul’s place. He could see an opportunity. “I’ll sing for you, but you need to get Rahul and me a hotel room. Somewhere nice.”

“Deal!” Wyatt shouted without hesitation. “I’ll even cover room service.”

“Deal.” Joey held his hand out so that they could shake on it.

*~*

Across town, Chris slipped on his sweater as he stood outside of the apartment door. Dating for him was a mixed bag. He briefly had one girlfriend that lasted about three months. Otherwise, he went on few dates or went straight to sex. This date with a young woman that he met on Tinder turned into a sex date.

The sex turned out great, but he found himself numb to the orgasms as he hoped for something more lasting. He wasn’t begging to get married right away, but as he was only a year from graduation, he’d figured that he’d be in a serious relationship by now.

Chris checked his jeans’ zipper to make sure that it was zipped up. He was clear to go, so he went downstairs to orb out behind the building. 

As Chris reached the second floor, he had a chill. He stopped in his tracks for a moment to look down the hallway, where he saw one door ajar. He could sense a demonic presence that pushed him into action.

“Bad idea,” Chris whispered. “Bad idea.”

Moving silently, Chris reached the door. He hesitated for a moment when he heard a crash that made him flinch. He could feel the buzzing of an energy ball as someone begged for mercy.

Chris pushed the door open. He stepped into a crowded living room full of junk as an old man cowered behind a stack of boxes. A male demon with violet skin and an energy ball floating over his hand stood across from the old man.

“Hey!” shouted Chris. Shocked from his presence, the demon tossed the energy ball at Chris. Chris called the energy ball and orbed it back to the demon. The blast struck the demon’s chest, slamming him against the wall.

The old man stared wide-eyed at Chris.

The demon hissed. “Fucking witch!”

Chris nodded. “That’s fucking Charmed One to you, demon!” A surge of electricity traveled along his arm. The electricity grew, and he fired the electrical blast at the demon. The electricity ignited the demon’s body in flames as it left nothing behind but ash.

Chris brushed his hair back. He turned to the old man. “You okay, sir?”

“Yes. Thanks, witch.” The old man got on his feet. His appearance shifted with black lines forming on his face and an azure diamond bulging on his forehead. The old man’s shift caused Chris to sense the demonic aura from him too. Chris’s hand twitched as he almost telekinetically flung the boxes only for the old man to hold his hands up. “No! I don’t mean you harm, witch. Charmed One.” The old demon shook his head. 

“That’s a first.”

The old demon chuckled. “Yes. Indeed.” The old demon fixed his cardigan as he shuffled towards his couch, gesturing for Chris to close the door. Oddly enough, Chris didn’t feel himself in trouble, so he closed the door and waited to hear the demon out. “You saved me from the Hellfire Club’s assassin, so I’ll offer information in exchange.”

Chris crossed his arms. “Hellfire Club? Like the secret society or the sex dungeon?”

“I wish it was the sex club.” The old demon flicked his wrist. He conjured a bottle of wine and a glass for himself. “No. It is a secret demonic order. They’re out to take control of the Underworld, so they’re killing any demons of any status that might say no to them.” He sipped his wine. “I served as the Demonic Archivist for the last two Sources. And, don’t worry, I won’t hold it against your family. That demon was a prick.” 

“Good to know. So who are the Hellfire Club?”

“Old demons that got pushed to the margins. With the power vacuum that your mother and her sisters created, the Hellfire Club is out to use that to their advantage. I hear that Mistress Zurie is out to find Abigor, the great Knight of Hell.”

“Zurie!” Chris recalled the last encounter he had with Zurie. While they didn’t fight, he could sense something off about Zurie, and not because of how easily she used Bianca’s family. “We met. Does she lead the Hellfire Club?”

“She’s one of its leaders. She also works with the Queen of Vampires, Lamia, and the Infernian Metallurgist Brother Zagon.”

Chris shook his head. “Zagon? The Great? But we stopped his return.”

The old demon laughed. “You clearly failed.” He finished his glass and started pouring himself another glass. “Be warned, Charmed One. The Hellfire Club is as much of a threat as the demons that your mother faced. Should they find and release Abigor, then there is little that you and your brothers can do to stop them. Especially once they decide that you’re a credible threat.”

“We’re not a threat to them? We’re the Charmed Ones.”

“The Hellfire Club is playing the long game. You’re on their radar, but only as something they can exploit. Once they decide that you’re no longer useful and are a danger to their plans, then the gloves are off.” 

The old demon chugged the wine then drank the last of the bottle. “Be careful, Charmed One. I’m going back into hiding and praying these assassins don’t find me again.” The old demon shimmered from the apartment, disappearing to parts unknown as he left everything here behind.

Chris looked out the door then at the pile of ashes as he feared the path that Zurie’s Hellfire Club would take them.

*~*

After the talk with the old demon, Chris returned home to fill Joey, Wyatt, and Brody in on everything. The threat of the Hellfire Club sent them searching the Book of Shadows for any clues, while Brody went to the Elders.

In the attic, Joey stood next to Chris’s shoulder while sunlight peeked through the stained glass mirror. Chris continued reviewing the Book of Shadows. Joey tilted his head to face Wyatt. “So much for rehearsing today.”

Wyatt huffed. “Oh well, but we got bigger problems. Zagon escaped his prison and is working with Zurie and Lamia.”

“Lamia.” Joey shook his head. “Here, I thought that Christy vanquished her. What kind of vampire can survive being set on fire?”

Chris shrugged. “Dracula?”

“Oh, god.” Joey stared at Wyatt and Chris. “Do you think Dracula’s real?”

Wyatt quivered at the thought. “If he is, then I’m stocking up on holy water and garlic. I’m too pretty to get bit.”

“Nothing.” Chris kept flipping through the book while ignoring their banter. He skipped through anything that didn’t refer to demons. “No reference to Zurie, Zagon, or this Abigor. And there’s no mention of Lamia in the entry on vampires.” He slammed the book closed. “Hopefully, Brody has better news for us.”

As the words left Chris’s lips, light-blue orbs descended from the sky. They looked to find Brody returning from the Heavens but also brought Leo with him.

“Dad?” They said. 

Wyatt scrunched his face. “What are you doing with our Whitelighter?”

Leo chuckled. “I had a meeting with the Elders. They asked me to become the headmaster for Magic School since Headmaster Knox left.”

“Really?” asked Chris. “Montgomery bailed? I’m surprised it took him that long. He hated Magic School and the Elders.”

“Are you taking the job?” asked Joey.

Leo joined the boys by the altar as he looked at Chris. “I’m considering it. But moving on, Brody told me about your encounter. Did the book tell you anything about the Hellfire Club?”

“Nothing.” Chris leaned over Leo to smile at Brody. “Do the Elders know anything?”

Brody moved his hand side to side and scrunched his face. “Not as a collective, but the demons’ names are familiar to them. They’re going to keep searching for more details.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “However, Abigor’s return is a big deal. The Source is the one that banished him. As the Knight of Hell, Abigor served as the Source’s right-hand demon and commanded the legions of the Underworld for centuries until Zurie and Zagon convinced Abigor to oppose the Source.”

Wyatt hummed. “So the Source banished the traitor. And the Hellfire Club wants him back. Which makes them too strong for us.”

“Not yet at least,” said Brody. “The Power of Three is still stronger, but if the Hellfire Club recruits any more upper-level demons, then it’ll become an issue.”

Joey nodded. “I guess that means I’ll need to keep my mind open to foresee the Hellfire Club’s next move. Anything else we should know about? Like who are Zagon and Lamia exactly? We heard about what Zagon did on the other Earth, but what did he do on this Earth?”

“Zagon was the forgemaster for upper-level demons.” Brody pointed to the cabinet where they had a few athames stored. “He forged weapons of unfathomable power before creating an armory that he would use against the Source and Triad. When he targeted Billie’s ancestor, it ended with him being banished on the other Earth. As for Lamia.” Brody bit his lip. “She's the oldest living vampire. She was turned during the days of the Olympian Gods and spawned countless vampires since then.”

Their jaws hung open. Joey covered his mouth. “Fuck. So she’s stronger than Dracula.”

Chris closed his eyes. “Any more bad news, Brody?”

“Not today.”

Wyatt patted Joey on the back. While they felt grateful for the information, they also felt overwhelmed at the odds that they would face. Wyatt mumbled about rehearsing, which Joey agreed to without the slightest hesitation to distract them from the impending doom.

*~*

In the Underworld, Nomed had his hands folded behind his back as he entered Zurie’s chamber. He kept his head up as he reminded himself that he was General of the Hellfire Club. He was no common demon; he belonged in their presence.

Zurie stood over her cauldron and poured a pink liquid into it. She paid Nomed no mind while she focused on her concoction. Meanwhile, Zagon filed his nails with a metal nail file, and Lamia laid on the chaise lounge with blood smeared across her face.

Nomed coughed to capture their attention. “Lords. I have it.” He went into his coat pocket to retrieve a rotten, half-decayed bone. “The femur of a saint.”

“Marvelous!” Zurie greedily took the bone and tossed it into the cauldron. She breathed a string of words in Aramaic. The cauldron boiled with sparks of yellow light igniting for a moment. “Give it up to me. Tell me where my brother is.”

Zagon and Lamia approached the cauldron with gleeful expressions. They could see the cauldron’s liquid becoming clear as they had their sign. 

The cauldron showed an image of a temple in the middle of a desert. Zurie stroked her chin as she began to recall the location. “We found him.” Zurie grinned. She looked at everyone. “My spell is still in effect. The Charmed Ones will remain blind to us, but not for much longer. We must leave now.”

“To the desert!” said Zagon.

Lamia groaned. “I’ll stay here. My skin doesn’t do well in sunlight.” She went over to Nomed. She started to squeeze his arms while licking his lips. “You’ll keep me company, right, general?”

Nomed nervously smiled as Zurie and Zagon vanished.

*~*

Band practice served as the only bit of good for Joey. He had no luck in foreseeing the Hellfire Club, and Brody didn’t bring any news from Elders. They could only move on with their lives until they figured something else out to lead them into derailing the Hellfire Club’s plans.

Joey brushed his bangs. He stood in Wyatt’s living room, with the band whaling away on their instruments. He grabbed the makeshift microphone as he listened for his queue. Wyatt and Steve strummed their guitars as Vinnie’s fingers glided across the bass string while Gordon pounded the drums. It took a moment for Joey to catch the final note.

“ _Not born again. I’m in the lion’s den_ ,” sang Joey. “ _Where have you been?_ ” He paused and listened to the next string of notes before starting up again. “ _You shun yourself. So by myself. Nowhere else to go. Pushed into the abyss._ ”

Joey finished the final chorus as they wrapped up the last song. He sighed since the last two hours of rehearsal started to kick his ass more than glee club.

Steve walked across the living room. He had a face mask covering himself, so he didn’t spread his strep to everyone else. “Good job. But you’ll need to make your notes a little higher on the final verse.” He grabbed the paper with the song’s lyrics to point out the verse. Joey nodded along as he listened to Steve and practiced hitting the note at the range that Steve wanted. 

The note stressed Joey’s vocal cords a bit, but he could pull it off with a bit more practice. Joey backed away and grabbed his water to recollect himself.

“It’s hard work.” Wyatt sipped his water too. “But thanks again, Joe. We’d be screwed without you.”

“Yeah!” Vinnie gave Joey a thumb’s up with Gordon copying him. “Thanks for the save, little bro!”

Joey smirked. “No problem.” He looked at Wyatt. His voice dropped a little as Steve went over his notes for Vinnie and Gordon. “Um...if this doesn’t go well. This won’t affect us, will it?”

Wyatt hugged Joey. “If it doesn’t work out, then this wasn’t meant to be.” He kissed Joey’s forehead. “You came to our rescue when we needed help. So long as you do your best, then I have nothing to get upset over.” Wyatt locked pinkies with Joey like they used when they were kids. They would always make pinky promises, which irritated Chris since they left him out of the promises. 

“Good.” Joey clasped his water bottle and fake mic over his chest. “In that case. Can I make a request for the throwback song since we haven’t practiced it yet? If it’s not too late.”

Wyatt raised his eyebrow. “It’s kind of late.”

“Yeah, but I can’t sing Pearl Jam. My voice isn’t bassy enough.”

Gordon overheard them. He could see Joey’s request as a problem and a godsend if it was something that Joey couldn’t sing. “We know a lot of old school songs. Is there something you already have in mind?” 

Joey bit his lip. “Do you know一”

*~*

All the cheering could drive a lesser man to develop a big head. However, years of magic meant that Joey got used to power. He would have to admit that he could get a bit addict to it, which is why he assumed Wyatt loved the stage so much.

The competition took place at Golden Gate Park. A solid crowd gathered to watch the final five bands compete, while a group of judges would decide who would get set up with an agent and possible record deal. Joey and Wyatt had their family out in the crowd, too, as did the rest of the bandmates. Joey could even spot Rahul standing next to Chris and their parents, while Jessica hung out with Hank. 

Dying Liberty finished half their set. Joey and the band poured sweat as they had the sun beating down on them too. Joey scratched his stomach, his developing abs exposed from his pink crop-top. Meanwhile, Wyatt tossed his shirt long ago to show off his chest alongside Vinnie.

As they had the lull before starting their last song, Wyatt went over to Joey. They connected their foreheads and smiled. Joey had the mic dangling to his side as he looked into Wyatt’s eyes.

“This is it,” whispered Joey.

Wyatt grinned. “You got this. Make them piss their pants.”

Joey chuckled and nodded. He took his position back at center stage, while Wyatt started to strum his guitar. Steve, Vinnie, and Gordon took that as their queue. They started the last song, the throwback song, as they wanted to end it with a bang.

The beating of the drums, guitars, and bass got Joey to start swaying. He brought the mic back to his face. Joey started singing the opening lines to the Runaways’s “Cherry Bomb.”   
  
“ _Can't stay at home, can't stay at school. Old folks say, ya poor little fool. Down the street, I'm the girl next door. I'm the fox you've been waiting for._ ” Joey strutted across the stage to find his parents in the crowd near Phoebe and Paige. “ _Hello, Daddy, hello, Mom. I'm your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb. Hello, world, I'm your wild girl. I'm your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb!_ ” 

Joey danced across the stage. He kept singing at the top of his lungs to match the energy of the song while Wyatt led the others into hitting their every queue. The performance got the crowd excited, with the judges appearing pleased too.

They kept it up until the end of the song. Joey dramatically fell as he kept singing the final lines, giving a rocking performance that got more people excited. The cheering told them everything that they needed to know about their performance.

It took a bit for them to clear the stage, but once they did, everyone rallied around Joey.

Steve almost kissed Joey but reminded himself that he still had a mask on to prevent him from spreading strep. He gave Joey a fist bump instead. Gordon and Vinnie did the same as they cheered for Joey, while Wyatt hugged Joey.

“You did great,” said Wyatt. “Thanks.”

Joey sniffed back his tears. “Happy to save the day.” They chuckled for a moment as the next band started their performance.

It was up to the judges now. The other band gave a great performance too, which included a killer cover of Led Zeppelin's “Immigration Song.” Wyatt could tell that the judging would turn into a nailbiter. 

Every minute of deliberation felt like hours. Wyatt could feel his body vibrating as he didn’t know if he was terrified of failing or anxious from the judges not making a decision.

Finally, the bands got called to the stage.

Wyatt held onto Joey and Gordon’s hands. The stage fell silent as every band anxiously awaited the results. Only the announcer showed any signs of life as the announcer took a deep breath. The announcer looked away from Wyatt and the band.

“The winners are...Scarlet Harvest!”

Applause and cheers greeted Scarlet Harvest. Wyatt took a deep breath as he started to applaud Scarlet Harvest too. Joey rested his head against Wyatt’s sweaty arm and clapped with everyone else.

“It wasn’t meant to be,” whispered Wyatt. 

Joey frowned. “At least you got me. And Chris.”

Wyatt grinned. He could always count on Joey for a laugh, but he didn’t feel like laughing now. 

*~*

The afterparty at Halliwell manor didn’t have the same vibe as expected. Everyone cramped into the house as Wyatt’s bandmates brought their family over too. Piper was glad that she didn’t buy a “congratulations” banner after all. However, she did stock up on plenty of food and alcohol, which the band needed.

Wyatt gulped down three beers and had a tequila shot. He turned to alcohol to distract himself from failing to win the competition. He ignored Phoebe’s discussion of a psychology reading list with Steve’s parents since they were college professors. The last thing he needed was to fall down a rabbit hole on the “psychology of love.”

Gordon’s gaze briefly met with Wyatt. They shared a smirk before going off into their worlds. 

“You!” Joey wrapped his arms around Wyatt’s waist. Wyatt nearly spilled his beer. Joey apologized then started smirking. “So. Our deal? Fork over the keys.”

Wyatt went into his pocket to grab a pair of keycards and a valet ticket. “Breakfast ends at ten. And I left some party favors on the desk.”

Joey grabbed the cards and ticket. He skipped over to Rahul, who stuffed his face with cake. “Thank you, Wy!” He looked at the packet. “Oh! The Embassy Suites. How fancy.”

Before Joey got too far, Piper stopped him. She grabbed the keycards and tickets. “And where do you think you’re going? Who said you could go anywhere?”

Joey reclaimed the keycards and tickets, much to Piper and Wyatt’s surprise. He showed no remorse as he stuffed them into his pocket. “I’m eighteen and done with high school, so legally, you can’t stop me from spending the night with my boyfriend.” Rahul started to choke on the cake, prompting Wyatt to rush to help him. Joey joined Wyatt in patting Rahul’s back so he could properly swallow the food. “And before you try to stop me, just a reminder that we are a rebellious family. I could always run away from home tomorrow, meet an older man who gets me addicted to meth, and you’ll never see me again until I appear on a news report dead in some alleyway from an overdose. Is this really the battle you want to pick?”

Wyatt’s jaw dropped. “Whoa! Dark!”

Piper scrunched her face and sighed. “Go. Stay out of trouble.” She watched as Joey dragged Rahul upstairs so he could grab an overnight bag. She turned to Wyatt as Chris came out of the kitchen with a couple of waters. “I should’ve beaten your asses more when you were kids.”

Wyatt shrugged as he thought about how he turned out. “Valid.” 

Chris flinched since he didn't hear the prior conversation. “What the hell? What did I do?”

“Bro!” Vinnie walked over to Wyatt and wrapped his arm around Wyatt’s shoulder. Chris and Piper went back into the party, while Vinnie took Wyatt’s beer. “So. You know how we were worried that we’d have to move back home because of the deadline? And一”

“Yeah. Get to the point, Vin.”

Vinnie smirked. “My folks said that they’d keep helping us with the apartment, but we’ll have to pay more on the rent until we decide to move out or can afford it on our own. Our dreams of seeing Dying Liberty performing across the world is dead, but we can at least be roomies still and play music. Steve and Gordon are down to keep this going. What about you?”

Wyatt grabbed his beer back. “I guess I could keep living with you, clowns. For now.”

“Thatta boy!”

*~*

The hotel room wasn’t too extravagant. Wyatt got Joey and Rahul a room with a king-sized bed. They had all the space to do whatever they wanted and to have sex wherever they want. The shower got a major checkmark when they saw the walk-in shower. And on the desk, Wyatt bought proper lube so that they wouldn’t have to rely on Vaseline.

Joey and Rahul laid in bed with the comforter pushed to the floor. They had a bit of sweat and remnants of the lube stuck to their skin, while two used condoms got stuffed back in the wrappers. Their naked bodies heaved as they stared at the ceiling while the cold a/c blew at their skin.

Rahul had a big grin plastered across his face. “Wow...sex is great!”

Joey chuckled. He rolled onto his side and kissed Rahul’s arm. “Yeah. I had a blast too.” He scooted a bit closer so that Rahul would take the hint that they needed to cuddle. “I’m glad that I waited.”

“Me too. Now I see why your brother made it his side-hustle.”

Joey raised his eyebrows as he pulled away from Rahul’s chest. “Do you really want to talk about my brother’s OnlyFans after we just had sex?”

Rahul gulped. “Nevermind.”

“Uh, huh.” Joey rubbed his hand against Rahul’s chest hair. He almost had a tinge of jealousy that he couldn’t grow much body hair before reminding himself how many guys wish they were as naturally smooth. “This was a great idea. We should consider doing this again before you leave. Maybe next time at a gay hotel or one of those nude resorts.”

“Really?” Rahul looked at Joey. “You would be open to something like that? Don’t those places creep you out a little?”

Joey shrugged. “I’m a gay kid from San Francisco.”

“Good point.” Rahul pulled Joey closer. “Maybe we can do that. I got some money saved up from working at the ice cream parlor.”

“And I saved my tips from my mom’s restaurant.”

Rahul smiled. “Okay, maybe we could try the nude resort thing. Do I have to be nude?”

“You’re a young, sexy cub. Own it.” Joey kissed Rahul.

“Says the twink.” Rahul pouted. Joey kissed Rahul again. They pulled themselves closer while muttering that each other stunk.

*~*

Across the globe in Iraq, Zurie and Zagon approached the desecrated remains of a temple to some Sumerian god. Religious extremists and terrorists would demolish much of the temples like this one, but enough remained. Zurie and Zagon cared nothing for the destruction of the old gods’ symbols as they focused on uncovering Abigor’s prison.

Their cloaks billowed from the desert winds. They ignored the displeasure of the sand scraping against their skin as they ventured deeper into the temple. All artwork or furnishing was destroyed or pilfered. Zurie waved her finger across the air. A spark of fiery magic manifested and floated towards a sandstone wall where they felt demonic energy. Zagon pushed the wall, causing more cracks to form.

The wall collapsed as the damages that the temple already sustained left it unstable. Zurie went into the gap in the wall where they found a sarcophagus where horrific creatures got carved into the stone. They easily recognized these creatures as demons, which told them all that they needed to know. 

“Pull it out,” said Zurie.

Zagon smirked. “I bet you say that to all the boys.” He undid his cloak to reveal a sword with a leather-bound handle strapped to his hip. He pulled the sword from the sheath that split into a “v” on the tip and demonic runes carved onto the sword. “Let’s bring our brother back.”

Zurie went into her pocket. She grabbed the satchel that contained some of Asmodeus's ashes mixed with her magical formula. She tossed the satchel, causing cracks to appear across the sarcophagus. 

The sword began to glow. Zagon tossed the sword, which prompted a hand to burst forth from the sarcophagus. The hand grabbed the sword, and the sarcophagus exploded as Abigor emerged from his confinement.

Abigor manifested as a dark-skinned demon with a golden chain dangling from his nosering and earring. His slick, dark hair bound by a silky ribbon. He had dark-ebony eyes that would appear to steal a soul with a single glance that contrasted against the various scars and burns that covered his muscular frame. 

“Soulbane.” Abigor licked the steel of his sword. “It is good to have you in my hands once more.

“Hello, brother!” Zurie gave Abigor a playful wave.

Abigor smirked. “Sister. Brother.” Abigor opened his arms to them. “I take it that you’re the ones that freed me from this god awful prison.”

“Indeed.” Zagon brought a finger to his lips. “Now. Can we leave this drab place? We have vengeance to plot and an Azazel to find.”

“Is Azazel the only one missing? Lamia?”

“She’s at our base,” said Zurie. “We’ll explain it all once we’re home. There is much that you’ve missed, oh, noble knight.”

Abigor chuckled. He slashed Soulbane across the ground to see a jagged scar on the stony ground. The sword was as sharp as he remembered. “Good. I hunger for a battle.” Abigor followed as they left the temple and retreated to the Underworld to begin the next phase of the Hellfire Club’s plans.

*~*

Well into the night, Joey found himself pulled out of his sleep. He rubbed his tired eyes as he wanted nothing more than to get back to sleep, but something bothered him. He could feel a chill and smelled the burn of magic. These feelings alerted him that something was off. He turned to Rahul to see him still sleeping and snoring.

Yawning, Joey tried to go back to sleep when he felt a weight on the bed. 

The change in pressure left Joey fully awake. He flicked his wrist to summon an energy ball after absorbing that power from a demon a few weeks ago. However, he wouldn’t need it when he saw who was on the bed.

The city illuminated the darkroom. They left their curtains open since they were on the fourteenth floor and overlooked downtown. Plenty of light came in, which allowed Joey to see the spirit of a handsome, dark-haired man.

Joey smothered the energy ball while tears started to trickle down his face. “Mark?”

Mark smiled. Mark’s body bore a spectral glow that confirmed to Joey that Mark wasn’t alive but a ghost. “ _Hey, Joey._ ”

“How?”

Mark shook his head. “ _We don’t have much time. I’ve come to warn you that you’re in more danger than you realize. The Hellfire Club. They’re a major threat, but they’re not the only evil you have to face._ ”

Joey squinted his eyes. His sleepy brain and the shock of his dead boyfriend’s spirit, finding him left it a little hard to process Mark’s words. “But how do you know any of this? Did the Elders send you?”

“ _No. Another higher power. Someone who is frightened of what is coming next and wants to ensure that you and your brothers have a fighting chance._ ” Mark brought his index finger to Joey’s face and gently poked his nose. “ _This will hurt. I’m sorry._ ”

Mark’s ghostly finger touched Joey, but there was no pain. Not at first. However, a jolt of psychic energy assault Joey. His body tensed, and his fingers dug into the sheets while he resisted the urge to scream. His eyes turned pitch black as a series of images bombarded his mind.

Dozens of premonitions flashed. Everything appeared so disjointed that Joey couldn’t decipher meaning to any of them as he saw his family, demons, and other magical beings in conflict. He could hear whispers of the end of good magic. Nothing made sense to him until the end. The final vision showed five hooded figures in a cave-like chamber where a sixth hooded figure stood. The five extended their hands out with one speaking on behalf of them.

“ _By decree of the Hellfire Club! We anoint you as the new Source of All Evil!_ ” The sixth hooded figure began to pull the hood down. “ _Long may you reign, S一_ ” 

The premonition ended before Joey could see the demon’s face. Joey’s eyesight returned to normal. He had more tears pouring while he saw that Mark’s ghost returned to the Afterlife. He could understand why Mark would act as a messenger as he thought of his final vision that showed the rise of a new Source.

“Joe! Joey!” Joey snapped out of his daze. His screaming woke Rahul up. Rahul had a frightened gaze as he reached out to hold onto Joey. “Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?”

Something worse than a nightmare, but it wasn’t something that Joey could share. He nodded instead as he rested his head against Rahul’s chest. “Yeah. A nightmare.”

“I’m sorry.” Rahul pulled them back to the bed. The soft mattress and pillows brought some comfort, while Rahul’s touch distracted Joey from the vision. “You want to talk about it? Was it really scary?”

“I don’t remember much.” Joey pulled himself closer to Rahul and sighed. “Can we watch TV for a little bit? Until I can fall asleep again?”

Rahul nodded. “Sure.” He grabbed the remote. He found a channel playing something other than home shopping ads. Once he found a channel playing _Golden Girls_ reruns, they focused on making themselves comfortable. 

The banter helped to distract Joey even as he would remain afraid of the threat that loomed on the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Hellfire Club and a new Source of All Evil! How will the Halliwells survive? And who is the future Source? And how soon will we meet this new Source?


	17. The Haunting of Christopher Perry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop! This update kicked my ass. I'm exhausted keeping up with the story while writing my lectures. I'll keep it up as best as I can. I'll let you know if I'm going to need to change the frequency of my updates. Otherwise, expect an update every Wednesday/Thursday.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

On a sunny day, Joey wandered across City College’s campus. His bag bounced against his hip while he followed his usual route.

About three months have passed since the concert. In the meantime, Joey said goodbye to Rahul who left for Princeton, while warning his family of the premonition that Mark gave him. They had their suspicions of following any advice from Mark, but the threat of a new Source of All Evil rising proved far too great to ignore. And what little they knew of the Hellfire Club, they decided not to take any risks. The family would do everything in their power to derail the Hellfire Club and this future Source’s plans.

Every day, Joey prayed that Brody would bring useful news from the Elders of the Hellfire Club. However, all they knew was that some ancient ruins in Iraq got destroyed, and they worked with the assumption that Abigor roamed freely. 

Joey walked up the stairs when he saw PJ waiting for him outside of a building. 

“Yo, girlie.” PJ tossed her hair over her shoulder. She moved from the railing and took Joey’s arm. “How goes the studying? You ready for next week’s exam?”

“Studying is for dummies.” Joey smirked and patted PJ’s head. “Like you.”

PJ huffed. “Keep it up, Joe. You need me to teleport you to and from campus. The last thing you’d want to do is piss off your ride.”

Joey gulped. Them going to school together saved Joey from the trouble of getting a car or using public transportation. He didn’t have a teleportation ability like his brothers and cousins, except for Hank, which put him at a major inconvenience. He couldn’t afford to ruin the good thing that he had with PJ.

“Do you need to borrow my notes?” Joey attempted to repair the damaged bridge.

PJ smirked. “Now, you’re talking. How about you give me your notes and pay for lunch? Deal?”

Joey patted his wallet. “I guess that means I should pick up an extra shift at mom's restaurant to afford your expensive taste.”

“Good boy!”

They wandered into the building for their first class of the day. They had a literature class, and later that day, they’d go into their world civilization class. PJ didn’t worry over the lit class since she could charm the professor, but their world civilization professor was too much of a hardass to fall for such easy tricks.

The crowded hallways greeted them as everyone hurried to make it to class.

PJ kept close. “So, any news on the Hellfire Club?”

“Not since the last time you asked.” They turned the corner. “Paulina did send me some references to Azazel. It looks like we’re going to have the same problem with him as we did Asmodeus.”

“A demon with multiple origins and personas?” PJ scratched her head. “I take it we think he’s an Old One too?”

Joey smirked. “Probably. Aside from his demonic references, he is also referred to as an Angel of Death. He is also responsible for teaching humanity the art of war.”

PJ wanted to laugh. “Then, we have him to blame for all these almost nuclear wars every other week.”

“Indeed.” They stepped into the lit class and took to their usual seats. They dropped the conversation so that they didn’t raise any suspicions or risk magical exposure. Joey grabbed his notebook and his worn-out copy of Dorian Gray before they started their next discussion.

*~*

Across town, Wyatt wiped his hands clean of oil, ignoring the stains on his work coveralls. Since things pretty much ended for Dying Liberty, he pushed himself into a full-time position at the auto shop. It meant he got dirtier, but the extra pay meant that he could reconsider his sex work. For now, he’d keep filming himself since he could use that money to save up for his own place.

As much as he loved living with his bandmates, without the music, things got rockier between them. They rarely picked up their instruments to even have a jam session. Everything was collecting dust as they drifted as more of their time got consumed with work. 

Wyatt considered trying to set up a pub crawl for the weekend to help rebuild their bonds when he heard one of his coworkers call his name. He would have to ignore his friends and the guilt he felt for not focusing on the Hellfire Club and the future Source when he stepped into the lobby area. He saw the attendant standing there next to a bronze-skinned woman around his age. 

She had hypnotic brown eyes that pulled Wyatt in when their gazes met. She kept her dark curls short to frame her face nicely. Wyatt couldn’t help but notice the way that she held herself with such confidence and beauty as her dark sundress swayed across her curvy body. 

“Great, Wyatt.” The coworker held the clipboard that Wyatt filled out earlier. “Ms. Rossi had some questions on her car. Could you help her?”

“Sure.” Wyatt grabbed the clipboard. His eyes darted to the paperwork to see her name: Veronica Juarez-Rossi. He led Veronica outside to the parking lot where her convertible was left parked. “You had some questions for me? I’m guessing you wanted to know more about the axle replacement?”

Veronica nodded. “Yeah. It was only a joint replacement, right? To stop it from pulling left?”

“Yup. Let me try to show you what we did.” Wyatt grabbed a miniature flashlight from his pocket. He did his best to show Veronica what he replaced and the process as she had some genuine questions for the repairs. They spent a while chatting about her car’s condition and other concerns that Wyatt had for her car. “It is on the older side, so you’ll want to keep a closer eye on it. In fact.” Wyatt took out his business card and handed it to Veronica. “Here. If you have any more trouble, let me know.”

Veronica smirked. “Aren’t you sweet.” She reached for the card only for sparks to ignite. And not the romantic kind. Literal, rainbow-colored sparks manifested when their hands came into contact. Wyatt dropped the card as he sensed a shocking amount of magic while Veronica fell silent.

Wyatt looked closer to see the sparks lingering around Veronica’s hand. He glanced around them to see that no one noticed them. His mouth hung open a little. “Are you a witch?”

“A what?” Veronica tried to shrug off Wyatt’s question. However, Wyatt would hold his hand out and orb the business card to his hand. The relief on Veronica’s face caused her to drop her guard as she took the card from him. “You’re a witch too. That explains why my powers acted funky.”

“It can happen.” Wyatt stepped a bit closer. “How long have you had your powers?”

Veronica bit her lip. “A few years now. I always had them, but my parents bound them when I was little. I’m still trying to figure things out. You?”

“All my life.” Wyatt smiled as he pointed to his card. “My phone number is on there too. If you need help, with magic too, give me a call. Okay?”

“Okay. Thank you.” Veronica grabbed her keys from her purse and went to her car. Wyatt got out of the way so that she could go about her day. 

Returning to the lobby, Wyatt felt his phone vibrate. At first, he expected to see a text from Joey to ask what they were getting Chris for his birthday next week. But he would have a delightful surprise in store. He saw a notification from an unfamiliar number. He read the text to see that Veronica texted him, asking him out for drinks.

Wyatt looked out the lobby window, seeing Veronica parked at another spot. He sent her a text to let her know that he was free after six.

*~*

The flashing of the camera made Chris’s headache even worse. Chris finished packing all his photography equipment with Raja’s help as his assistant. They wrapped up the baby shower gig that Raja got Chris. It raked in a decent amount of cash for them, which they needed after the costs of books ate up more of their budgets than they originally estimated.

As his twenty-first birthday approached, Chris felt his headaches only get worse. While he crouched to zip up his camera bag, a sharp pain struck him. He thought his brain would explode for a moment. A table would scoot across the room as his telekinesis lashed out, not that anyone noticed as the tea room was almost empty.

Chris shook his head. He regained control of himself as he reached into his pocket to grab a bottle of aspirin. 

Raja carried over the tripod’s bag. “Hey, Chrissy boy. I got our check. You ready to bounce?”

“Yeah.” Chris started reaching for his bags as he walked out to Joey’s car. He convinced Joey to borrow the car, not that Joey needed it since he had PJ to teleport him anywhere.

They went to the car and placed everything inside. Before Chris could get into the driver’s seat, he felt another headache coming. This time it wasn’t only the pain. Dozens of images flashed across his mind as did multiple voices.

Chris could see himself, but it didn’t look like him. The familiar settings of his life appeared more distorted, darker. He felt a sharp pain in his heart when he saw himself sitting near a fountain with Bianca, except he knew it wasn’t him or his Bianca.

The images disappeared. Chris had his hands on his forehead as he attempted to reduce the pain.

Raja touched his shoulder. “You okay? Should I drive?”

Chris nodded. He dug into his pocket and passed the keys to her. “Please. This headache is kicking my ass.”

“Of course.” Raja took the driver’s seat so that she could drive home. Chris popped another aspirin as he hoped it would kick in by the time they made it to Raja’s place.

*~*

Later that afternoon, Joey and PJ arrived at their ancient history class. They sat at their usual seats near the middle of the room, where they made themselves comfortable.

Joey pulled out his notebook when a young man entered the room. The young man hesitated for a moment before spotting an empty seat next to Joey. He made his way across the classroom to take the seat, causing Joey to jump since the seat remained empty all semester. 

“Do you mind if I sit here?” The young man had a husky voice that could make a person’s knees weak. Joey and PJ almost gasped when they gazed upon this stunningly handsome bronze-faced man. His bright-blue eyes pulled them into his grasp. He brushed his hand against his blonde locks, the veins bulging from his muscular physique.

PJ bit her lip before blurting out, “It’s all yours.”

The young man smiled. “Thanks. I’m Dion Spata.”

“PJ Halliwell, a pleasure to meet you.” PJ leaned over Joey to shake Dion’s hand. She almost swooned when she felt his burning touch. “Oh! And this is my cousin, Joey.”

Dion extended his hand out and gave Joey a big grin. Joey hesitated for a second. “Nice to meet you both. I hope it’s not too bold of me to ask for your notes. I’ve been a little sick this semester, which is why you haven’t seen me in class.” 

Joey kept silent. He tried not to stare too much at Dion, while PJ had no trouble flirting her pants off. Dion played nicely, but his eyes kept finding their way onto Joey.

“You are welcome to my notes,” said PJ. “Although, you’ll probably want Joey’s notes. He’s a smarty pants.”

“Really?” Dion chuckled. “How smart? We talking Isis, Athena, or Odin?”

Joey rolled his eyes. The charming effect of Dion’s appearance lost its sway once he opened his mouth more. While Joey was ready to move on from his relationship with Rahul, he had no interest in falling for a pretty boy like Dion. “None of the above. I’m a mere mortal.”

Dion licked his lips as he rested his back against the chair. “I doubt that,” he whispered.

They didn’t have much of a chance to chat as their professor arrived. The professor began to set everything up for their discussion on Greece, which brought a smirk to Dion’s face.

*~*

Chris made it home without getting into a car wreck. He orbed his equipment to his bedroom as he struggled to walk through the door as another headache triggered. He nearly dropped to his knees.

More images flashed before his eyes as did more familiar voices. He could hear his voice, but he couldn’t recall any of the conversations. This time he saw another image of himself in the manor, but the manor looked completely different. It looked like a museum. He could see himself and Bianca wandering inside of the house with what looked like a tour group.

The image faded, and the headache started to disappear. Chris rubbed his head again. “Fucking Hell! What is going on?”

“That you, Chris?” Leo’s voice echoed. Leo appeared from the living room, and he bore a concerned look once he noticed Chris’s pain. “Hey. Is something wrong?”

Chris shrugged the pain aside. “Fine. Just a headache.” 

Leo frowned. “Have you taken anything yet?”

“Several pills. I’m waiting for them to kick in before I beg Brody for healing.” Chris chuckled as he followed Leo back into the living room. He sat on the couch and crossed his arms. “The joys of getting old. I haven’t even turned twenty-one yet, and my body is falling apart.”

“It only gets worse.” Leo patted Chris’s shoulder.

Chris laughed. “Oh, joy. So you’re telling me that I have nothing to look forward to?”

Leo shrugged. Before Chris could vocalize his complaints, a burst of pink-light illuminated the living room. Joey came into view as PJ beamed him back home. Joey tossed his backpack on the chair and took a seat with them. “Where’s my keys?” He flinched as Chris tossed them at him. “So violent! I’m returning your birthday present.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “I know you. You haven’t bought me shit.” 

“But I will!” Joey smirked. “I haven’t forgotten about my favorite brother.” 

The words made Chris laugh through the pain of his headaches. Chris flinched again as he felt another headache starting, but there were no visions this time. He took a breath since he could thank his stars for being spared from some of the pain.

*~*

That night, Wyatt took Veronica out on a date at a park. With short notice, Wyatt didn’t have time to plan anything extravagant. But Veronica appeared to enjoy the park date as she had a smile on her face while they strolled the park with their popsicles slowly melting from the heat.

“So.” Wyatt had his mango-flavored popsicle dangling from his hand. “What are you studying at university?”

Veronica licked her coconut-flavored popsicle. “I’m going into nursing. Focusing on pediatric care.”

“That’s great!” Wyatt bit his popsicle. “My younger brother, Chris. He’s studying business at Berkeley now. He wants to help our parents with the restaurant while he’s working on his photography business. And my youngest brother, Joey. Well, he’s a bit like me. He’s going to community college until he figures out what to do. He’ll probably do something artsy too.”

“Not a bad plan.” Veronica stepped closer to Wyatt as they walked along the sidewalk. They ignored everyone else roaming around the park. “What about you? Do you plan on getting anymore schooling, or are you going to stick with being a mechanic.”

“I think I’m good where I’m at. I don’t hate the idea of school, but my passions are elsewhere. Maybe one day, my roommates and I will restart the band. Or maybe I’ll start a new one.”

Veronica smirked. “Yeah, your music is pretty good.” They followed the trail, approaching a manmade pond. Oddly enough, nobody was near the water, which gave them the perfect chance to take a seat on a bench. “I looked you up when I got home. Your band popped up.” She licked her popsicle. “And when I showed your picture to my roommate, he recognized you from your videos.”

Wyatt blushed. “Oh. So you know about that?”

“It’s cool.” Veronica laughed. “I have a friend who works as a dominatrix. There’s no shame in what you do for a living.”

Wyatt raised his eyebrows. “That’s hot.” He started to laugh. He found himself grateful that Veronica didn’t run for the hills after finding out about his videos. “Well, now that you know something personal about me. Is it cool if I ask you a question?” He glanced at Veronica, catching her as she nodded. “Why did your parents bind your powers?”

She sighed from having to dig into the memories of her past. “My parents are both witches from rival families in New York. In order to get away from the drama, they relinquished their powers before they fled and got married.” She tossed the popsicle stick into a nearby trash can and started walking again with Wyatt following. “They bound my powers, but wanted to give me the chance to relinquish them as they did.”

“Except you decided to keep them.”

“Except I did.” Veronica smirked. “I love being a witch, but it put me at odds with my parents. We haven’t talked much in these last three years.”

“That’s awful.”

“It is. But...I got over it.”

Wyatt finished his popsicle before tossing the stick into the trash. He touched Veronica’s shoulder. “I’m still sorry. Your parents shouldn’t ditch you because you wanted to keep your powers.”

Veronica sighed. “I can’t blame them for the trauma, but it does. I take it that your family has a very different relationship with magic.”

“We’re proud witches.” 

“Then die!” The deep voice frightened them. They spun around to see a pale-faced man in leather clothes with an athame drawn. Wyatt sensed the warlock energy. 

Wyatt clenched his fists. “Of course, a warlock would ruin my date.”

The warlock summoned a fireball that he tossed at Veronica. Wyatt stepped in the way. A blue disk manifested from his hand as he used his deflection power to repel the fireball, causing it to crash into the water. 

The warlock flicked his wrist to summon another fireball, but Veronica stepped up to the plate. The adrenaline coursed through her veins. She extended her hand with a barrage of colorful sparks manifesting that blinded the warlock. The warlock covered his face as the sparks broke his concentration and prevented him from blinking away. 

Wyatt flicked his hands. A blast of explosive energy struck the warlock with enough force to vanquish him in a single blow. The athame fell to the ground with Wyatt grabbing it before it fell into the wrong hands.

Veronica brushed her hair. “I’ve never been attacked by a warlock before.”

“You get used to it. Especially when you’re a Charmed One.” Wyatt looked around the park. He couldn't sense any more warlocks or demons in the area.

“What’s a Charmed One?” asked Veronica.

Wyatt smiled. He hadn’t done that much of a deep dive into his family history. “How about we talk about it over tacos?”

*~*

On the morning of his birthday, Chris crawled out of bed, feeling horribly sluggish. He struggled to get dressed or to do much else as his headaches only worsened. He had consumed a bottle of aspirin since last week but found no changes. 

Chris stood in front of his mirror. He looked at the bags under his eyes to notice how they got worse, too, from his lack of sleep. He didn’t know how he’d survive any of this if he couldn’t get the headaches to stop.

“I’m going to have to beg Brody for help.” Chris massaged his forehead. It did little to ease the pain.

The headache got worse, and another set of images flashed before his eyes. He could see himself standing in the attic with the Book of Shadows, while a frantic Bianca looked around the room. The other him furiously went through the pages of the Book of Shadows as a group of demons arrived at the attic. Bianca yelled at him to go as he finished reciting a spell to open a portal of some kind.

The image faded, and Chris dropped to his knees. He resisted the urge to scream, but his telekinesis activated itself, while volts of electricity traveled around his body. His bedroom furniture began to move, while his closet door slammed itself open and closed. He didn’t hear anything as the pain distracted him from his surroundings.

It took a moment for the headache to pass.

Chris took a deep breath. He slowly calmed himself down when he heard the door knock. “Happy birthday, bro!” Chris started getting on his feet as Joey stepped inside. Joey didn’t notice Chris’s outburst or how his room looked different. He skipped over to Chris as he handed Chris a neon-blue gift bag. “Open it! Open it!”

Chris smiled through his pain. He removed the tissue paper to find his present. “Dude!” He took out the gift: a flash diffuser for his camera. “This is great. I needed a new one.”

“I know.” Joey smirked as he sat on the edge of Chris’s bed. “I had a premonition that you broke your old one. I saved up my tips to buy you a good one.”

“You’re a good brother.” Chris hugged Joey. He flinched as he felt his headache coming back, but it luckily didn’t get any worse.

They went downstairs, where Piper was finishing Chris’s birthday breakfast.

*~*

That afternoon, the birthday party brought the family together. Everyone crammed themselves into Halliwell manor. Coop, Henry, and Wyatt bought an assortment of bottles so that Chris could have many legal drinks. Gifts that Chris would greatly appreciate as he drank half a bottle of vodka without anyone noticing and yet that did nothing to cure his headache, or leave him drunk.

Chris ran upstairs for more aspirin. He locked himself in his bedroom for a moment to give himself a chance for the pain to pass. And while the pain lessened, that didn’t stop another wave of visions from hitting him.

This time he saw the other him with his parents and aunts. However, they looked far younger in the visions. He would notice Phoebe’s short hair and Paige’s red hair. He would see the other him engaging in weird behavior until he saw Bianca attacking the other him in the backroom of P3. The vision transitioned to a bearded Wyatt killing Bianca before the other Chris could flee into a portal. That’s when the visions ended. 

“Chris?” Chris whispered. He started to piece together why the visions he had appeared so odd. They weren’t his memories, but the memories of the Chris from the other timeline. Somehow, he was witnessing the memories of the other him. “How is that possible? Why now?”

Chris shook his head. He didn’t have time to figure all that out. He left his bedroom to return to the party before people started asking questions.

As he reached the bottom of the staircase, Chris thought everyone sounded louder than before. However, it was more of his sensitivity to sound from the memories of the other Chris plaguing him. He grabbed onto the railing while starting to hear every conversation at once.

“So, I met someone. Her name is Veronica,” said Wyatt.

“That’s wonderful!” said Phoebe.

“What do you think of my portfolio?” asked Tamora.

“I think it’s great,” said Brody.

“Studying for the LSAT is kicking my ass,” said Hank.

“You can do it, buddy,” said Leo.

“You should try studying at Magic School,” said Paulina.

“Did Joey tell you about the hot boy in our class, Dion?” said PJ.

“A cute boy?” asked Paige.

“I’m thinking of retiring,” said Henry.

"Because of the stress of the job?" asked Victor.

“Hey! Why can’t I drink? It’s a party?” asked Joey.

“Not until you're twenty-one,” said Piper.

The chorus of voices drove Chris mad. He pulled his hand from the railing and grabbed his head as he could feel his brain on the verge of exploding. Another set of images flashed. Chris could see the other him with the family before he saw a man that Chris only saw in photographs at Magic School. He recognized the man as the Elder Gideon. He watched as Gideon attacked a baby Wyatt before fatally stabbing the other him. And the last thing he saw was the other him die in Leo’s arms. 

“Stop!” Chris shrieked. 

Electricity crackled across Chris’s body with the lights flickering. Orbs surrounded a few objects in the house, but they didn’t move an inch. And all the doors in the house slammed themselves open and shut. Chris, losing control of his powers, drew everyone’s attention as they realized something horrible was happening to him.

Chris screamed. His telekinesis pushed everyone, preventing anyone from getting close to him. He almost begged for death when he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Chris.” The soft voice pulled Chris away from his trance. “I’m here.”

Chris looked over his shoulder with tears pouring down his face. He started smiling, ignoring his pain as he saw Bianca.

Bianca reached for Chris’s hand, gently holding onto it. “We should talk.”

*~*

It took a moment for Chris to calm himself and regain control of his powers. He didn’t say what was happening to him as the headaches lingered, leaving him unable to speak as he focused on resisting his pain. However, he listened to Bianca as she spoke up. 

Bianca sipped her water. She sat close to Chris on the sofa with everyone curious why she suddenly returned after all these years.

“My family isn’t an issue anymore.” Bianca looked at Chris, watching how he flinched from his pain. She sighed as she looked over to Piper and Leo. “Those who would come after your boys for revenge or me are dead, while everyone else interpreted our actions as personal business. I also have enough status in my family with my mom dead that they won’t risk coming after us.”

Piper shrugged. “That makes me feel only a little better.”

Leo nodded. “But why are you back? Why now?”

Bianca bit her lip. She looked at Chris once more. “I’ve been having strange visions lately. They’re clearly not hurting me the same way that they are Chris, though. I didn’t think much about it until I started seeing more.” She turned to Piper and Leo once more. “I believe that they’re visions from the future you told us about.”

Wyatt pushed himself away from the wall. “Of the dark future? Where I’m evil?”

“You know about it?”

Joey sighed. “There was this whole thing. So is that why you’re back? You’re having strange visions?” Joey stopped for a moment. He looked at Chris, watching him grab his head. He glanced at Phoebe, who nodded as they recognized the signs of premonitions. “Chris. Are you having visions of the other Chris?”

Chris didn’t want to nod. His body felt far too sensitive to even the slightest movement. “Yes,” he spoke bluntly. “I’ve been having these visions for a few weeks now.”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” asked Piper.

“I didn’t want you to think I was losing my mind.”

Joey wanted to laugh, but he also knew that he needed to act sensitively to Chris’s pain. He walked across the sunroom to sit beside Chris. “You should've told us sooner.” He hesitated for a second before reaching out to touch Chris's head. “Let me try something.”

Chris pulled away. “What?”

“I’m going to try and absorb the psychic echoes of your visions.”

Phoebe stepped closer. “I should try too.”

Brody grabbed Phoebe’s arm. “No. These visions are intense if they’re warping Chris’s powers. Without the Power of Three, you aren’t as resistant to the magical backlash. It’s safer if Joey attempts this on his own.”

Everyone started to scoot away, giving Joey the space that he needed. Wyatt put himself in front of everyone and projected a force field. Wyatt nodded so that they could do the deed. Joey helped Chris to his feet. They would take a deep breath.

Joey touched Chris’s head. He closed his eyes and opened his mind to the visions. His fingertips started to glow, while Chris’s eyes turned white. The psychic echoes repelled across the sunroom, but only Joey could see everything. Dozens of visions bombarded Joey’s mind as he witnessed the life and death of the other Chris.

A flash of light rippled between them. The light pushed Joey across the sunroom, while Chris dropped to his knees. The would’ve destroyed the room had Wyatt not acted quickly. Wyatt warped his force field to absorb the light’s explosive energy. 

Wyatt retracted the force field as Joey started to get back on his feet. Before Joey could complain, wisps of lights gathered. The wisps created a ghostly image of Chris that stood over Chris. Piper, Leo, Phoebe, and Paige gasped as they told everyone that the ghostly Chris was of the Chris, who died. 

Chris ignored his ghostly double. The visions that Joey absorbed began to flash before his mind, inflicting horrible pain. The room began to quake, while ghost Chris looked at their Chris with a frown.

Wyatt shook his head. “What the hell is happening to him?”

Leo closed his eyes as he thought back to his days as an Elder, while not allowing the grief of ghost Chris’s presence looming over his head. He could deal with his trauma of holding his son as he died another day. He needed to focus on rescuing his Chris. “It’s a haunting, but of a different kind. Bianca, you had visions of the other you because of the psychic echoes of her traveling to this era and her connection to the other Chris.”

Bianca nodded. “But she died in her own time period, so I won’t see her ghost.”

“But the other Chris didn’t return to his time period,” said Leo. “He died here. So his soul is creating an anchor to our Chris.”

“A deadly one.” Brody started to piece together Leo’s logic. The lights began to flicker as volts of electricity flashed across Chris. “Future Chris. He was the same age as our Chris, and he died on his birthday.”

Piper nodded. “That means what?”

“Their souls are in conflict,” said Leo. “We have to find a way to release the other Chris’s spirit, or else...our Chris might die too.”

Phoebe gulped. “Do we summon mom? Or Grams?”

“There isn’t time for a summoning spell.” Paige looked at her watch. “We’re about two minutes away from the time that the other Chris died.” She looked at Leo, tears trickling down her face. “You’re not the only one scarred from his death.”

Victor shook his head. “How do we save my grandson?” 

Joey steadied himself. He regained his balance while he still felt the backlash of the visions. He understood now why Chris fell apart. Chris already was at a disadvantage from not having premonitions, but the pain of the other him proved so intense. Even Joey struggled to deal with the pain. “We can’t banish the other Chris because he doesn’t belong in this timeline.” Joey approached Chris and the other Chris’s ghost. 

Words buzzed across Joey’s mind. He thought of the best solution for now. He touched Chris and attempted to touch the ghost. “ _One who lives, one who died. No longer shall you be divided. To bring spiritual harmony, I call for you to be united._ ”

Chris’s ghost began to crumble into wisps once more. The wisps floated into Chris, signifying their union. Chris gasped. The visions of the other him faded, and he soon regained control of his powers as the headaches finally went away.

Chris tilted his head back and took a deep breath.

Wyatt rushed over, kneeling down to help. He started healing Chris with Brody and Paige offering healing too. “Chris?” Wyatt continued his healing. “Are you?”

Chris cracked a smile as he bathed in the golden light of their healing. “I’m good. All good.” He grabbed onto Joey’s hand. “Thank you.”

Joey grinned. “Anytime.”

*~*

It took a bit of work, but they salvaged Chris’s birthday party. His near-death and the trauma of the other him put a major buzzkill to the party, but the three-layered cake helped. 

Chris returned to his bedroom after a long, hot shower. His skin burned from the lingering heat, but at least he didn’t have to worry about the headaches. He closed the door to give himself and Bianca some privacy.

Bianca sat on the edge of the bed. She scrolled through her phone while Chris was in the shower. She tossed her phone on the end table and smiled. “How are you feeling?”

“Like if I have an additional twenty-one years worth of emotional baggage.” Chris dropped onto the mattress. He groaned. The tingle of his headaches became only a memory even as he dreaded the possibility of their return. “What about you? Are you still having visions?”

“None.” Bianca laid beside Chris, resting her head on his chest.

Chris wrapped his arm around her. “I’m glad you’re back.”

Bianca chuckled. “Me too.” 

“Do you plan on leaving anytime soon?”

“No. I’m sticking around.” Bianca rolled over so that she could face him. “Do you still have the Heart of Aphrodite?”

Chris nodded. “Yeah. Did you figure out the real reason why your mother wanted it?”

“Nope. But I want to make sure it stays safe until I do.”

“So you are leaving again.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” asked Bianca.

“I’m not, but it sounds like you’re going to leave.” 

Bianca kissed Chris, forcing him to shut up. His lust distracted him from another thought. She would pull away before he got too hot and bothered. “I’m staying here. With you,” she whispered. “That is if you still want me around.”

Chris smiled. “I couldn’t think of a better birthday present.” Bianca laughed. She started kissing him again. Their arms wrapped around each other as they rolled around on the mattress, doing their best not to make too much noise as they started losing their clothes.

*~*

Meanwhile, in a corner of the Underworld, Abigor approached a rundown shack. His dark cloak swayed with the sheathed Soulbane sticking out occasionally. He easily regained much of his lost power as soon as he set foot in the Underworld. Here, he could feast on the demonic energies to restore what the Source of All Evil took from him. And now, he could focus on recruiting a demon that would have some use to the Hellfire Club.

Abigor gently pushed the door. It snapped from its rusted hinges with a pile of dust rising. “Filthy. You’ve let yourself go, Neco.” Abigor stepped inside the shack. He backed away as a set of spikes descended from the ceiling. While the spikes wouldn’t have killed him, they would’ve left a nasty injury.

“Paranoid as ever, old friend.”

“Old friend, huh? Is that what we are?”

An aged demon stepped from the shadows. His skin a sickly, pale complexion that his tattered clothing barely concealed as he appeared not to have set foot outside of the shack in ages. The demon, Neco, stared at Abigor with his glassy eyes. “I see you escaped the Source’s prison. Not much of a surprise there. It seems that every traitor that the Source sealed away is trickling back into Hell.”

Abigor grinned. “Come now, Neco. Why must you act so harshly? You and I were quite close.”

“Till the Source stripped me of my eyesight and power for aiding you in your failed mission.” Neco huffed. “Begone, Abigor. I want nothing more to do with you. Let me die in peace.”

“How about I grant you an honorable death.” Abigor pushed open his cloak. However, he did not draw his sword. Instead, he retrieved a potion vial that contained a magma-colored liquid. “This is a gift from Zurie. We need the Charmed Ones removed for a while as we begin the process of breaking Azazel’s seals.”

Neco raised his eyebrows. “You found Azazel?”

“Parts of him. It’s complicated.”

Neco laughed. He extended his hand to Abigor. “I know. The Source hated Azazel more than he hated you. You were his favorite general, but Azazel was the favorite son.” He licked his lips. “Going after the Charmed Ones now. Well. I suppose there are worse ways for a demon to die.”

Abigor gave Neco the potion. “Make sure you strike all three. It’ll do no good to our plans if even one remains.”

Neco couldn’t see properly, but he could sense the magic. He could feel the dimensional energies. It didn’t take him much thought to see what Zurie brewed. “Yet, you need them to live because you have more in store for them. I’ll remove them from the picture for you. If they don’t kill me first, you will complete the deed. Understood?”

“You really wish to enter the Wasteland? Why not kill yourself?”

Neco stuffed the potion into his torn pants. Luckily, the pocket remained intact. “I can only die by another’s hand. Not by my own deed per the Source’s curse. So I’ve had to suffer in eternal agony. Death will be a mercy.”

Abigor nodded. “So be it...I apologize, my friend, for causing you such pain.”

“Fuck off, Abigor. I don’t need your sympathy.” Neco receded into the shadows, while Abigor vanished in a shimmer. Neco grabbed the potion from his pocket and stared at the liquid for a moment longer. “You really pissed them off, Charmed Ones. I doubt that even you’ll have an easy time returning from a branched timeline.”

Neco laughed as he stuffed the potion into his pocket. He closed his eyes and rested, resisting his pain as he knew the sweet release of death approached. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to move the last scene into the next chapter, but I think it fits better here. A better tease for the next chapter where the brothers are pulled into the dark timeline that the other Chris fought so hard to prevent. Next week's update is going to be a great one!


	18. Dark Reflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo! Welcome to the dark timeline! So I'm in love with this chapter. It's a long one too and there's a lot going on with a couple of hints to some other things that will happen later in the fic. Like I got done planning the final fifteen chapters, and let me tell you, we in for a rough ride.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!

Reclaiming control of his body and feeling a sense of inner peace, Chris moved about life without much struggle. Even with having the memories of the Chris from the dark timeline flooding his thoughts, Chris had an odd sense of renewed confidence. The things that generally bothered him didn’t seem like a big deal, such as how frustrating he’d find Wyatt and Joey, and he had a new level of confidence that made him excel with his photography jobs. And his romantic life took off now that Bianca was back and he had no trouble opening his heart more.

Overall, the merger of souls made Chris into a jollier person. It became even more apparent as he gathered boxes of supplies from a vacant office in Magic School. He gladly volunteered in helping Hank and Tamora with getting Henry’s P.I. business off the ground. Chris made sure everything got loaded into the boxes before they would take them anywhere.

Hank finished placing a set of notebooks and folders into a box. “Are you sure that Uncle Leo said it was cool that we could take all this stuff?”

“Yeah! It’s no biggie.” Chris snapped his fingers. He went across the office to grab some staplers and extra staples. “There are extra supplies. He won’t have much trouble getting the Elders to provide more.”

Tamora laughed. “Fuck yeah! Let’s scam the Elders for all the trouble that they cause our parents!” She reached a container of printer toner when she noticed Hank glaring at her. She placed the toner back onto the table. “Alright. I won’t grab the real expensive stuff. But can I at least snag another pack of printer paper for dad? I watch _Jessica Jones_. I know that private investigators need lots of paper...and booze.”

“Grab the paper,” said Hank. Tamora gleefully went into the storage closet.

Chris started to tape up his box. “So the artist is now a thief. I’m loving this character development for you, cuz!”

Tamora poked her head out from the closet. She squinted her eyes. “Okay. I get you’re all zen now, but this Happy Chris is freaking me out! I’m starting to miss Broody Chris.”

“Broody Chris is dead!” said Chris. “Long live Happy Chris!”

Hank shook his head. “Let’s drop this off to dad’s office. And for all your help, I think we can convince him to take us out for dinner.”

“And ice cream!” Tamora came back with a box of paper.

“And ice cream!” said Hank and Chris.

*~*

Despite being in community college, Joey still took his education seriously. While he didn’t need to bust his ass, he continued to push himself even as he still struggled to figure himself out. His adventures as a Charmed One, his relationships with Mark and Rahul, and performing on stage with Dying Liberty set something on fire within him. He didn’t know where life would take him, but he felt it was something that school itself couldn’t help him uncover.

Still, studying proved a great way to numb a troubled mind until Joey could see those answers. Even as they had the Hellfire Club and a new Source of All Evil looming over their heads.

Joey would sit in a nice, quiet corner of the library that also had no other students nearby as most people were in class or already went home for the day. He rewrote part of his Ancient History notes. He was a good note-taker, but in his efforts to get everything that the professor discussed, it left him with messy handwriting. It didn’t help that he was also left-handed. He made his notes look prettier as he could now read his notes on the Greece and Macedonia sections.

“All better.” Joey grabbed his highlighters to coordinate his notes better, while he listened to Megan Thee Stallion’s album from his headphones. 

Meanwhile, a set of footsteps drew closer. Joey lost himself in his rewrites that he didn’t notice as Dion grabbed the chair across from him. Dion placed his bag on the table, but Joey still didn’t pay him any attention. It would push Dion into drastic action. Dion grabbed his bag and dropped it on the table, the loud thud forcing Joey to look. 

Joey nearly yelped. He dropped his guard that if he didn’t sense a magical or demonic presence in the area that he stopped paying attention to anything. 

Dion grinned. An arrogant grin that reminded Joey of Wyatt when he was a cocky ass teenager. “Hi. How are you?” Dion spoke sweetly enough, but it still didn’t the intended results. 

Joey threw his highlighters onto his notebook. “Hi, Dion. What do you want?”

“I’m here to study.” Dion started to pull out his laptop and books. “Like you.”

“Really? The library is nearly empty, and you choose this table.”

“Studying, like cuddling, requires a buddy.”

Joey rolled his eyes. Joey could appreciate Dion’s attempts a flirting, and if he were far more naive, then he’d even take off his clothes and jump onto Dion. But that wasn’t the case, Joey experienced so much in the last four years that no pretty face, not even one as pretty as Dion, could so easily win his heart.

“Then, you’ll need to find another volunteer.” Joey smirked. “Now, if you excuse me. I need to read up on the Sacred Band of Thebes.”

“Ah! The Sacred Band!” Dion cracked his knuckles. His grin widened, and there was a twinkle in his eyes. “Now, those were some badass dudes. Not only did they kick Sparat’s ass, but they did so while embracing that man-on-man loving. If you ask me, this modern military could learn from the Thebans.”

Joey rolled his eyes as he kept his attention on his notebook. “Nobody did.”

It took quite a bit of effort for Joey to ignore Dion. Joey had no issue rejecting Dion’s advances, but he couldn’t deny that Dion was nothing else if not entertaining. 

As Joey studied, Dion would keep his eyes on Joey. Those blue eyes would explore every bit of Joey, examining him so closely. However, despite his flirty intentions, Dion’s motivations didn’t come from lust or desire. Dion studied Joey more like a predator or a test subject, a curiosity that he needed to uncover the truth of its purpose. Dion kept the smirk on his face, with golden light twinkling from his eyes, as he watched Joey closely.

Joey would remain oblivious to Dion’s inquisitive gaze. Friend or foe, Dion could hide his true intention in a way that not even Joey’s premonitions stood a chance.

*~*

That Sunday, the brothers gathered as they planned on helping to put together Sunday dinner as a nice treat for Piper and Leo. Wyatt finished scouring the kitchen to plot out the groceries that they needed to get. He bent over the countertop to finish his list, causing his white crop top, which had “Thot” written across the front to ride up further and his acid-washed jeans riding a little lower than normal. 

Chris and Joey strolled into the kitchen. Chris was the only one that dressed like a normal person as he stuck with skinny jeans and a v-neck shirt. While Joey wore an oversized, flannel shirt that he stole from Chris’s closet over his short shorts. Joey strutted across the kitchen to smack Wyatt’s ass.

“What you cooking us, bro?” 

Wyatt smacked Joey’s stomach. “We’re going to do lasagna. Mom has most of the ingredients, but we’ll need a couple more things.”

Chris smirked. “Then, let’s move it!” He led them out of the kitchen into the dining room. “So, do you plan on inviting Veronica to dinner? Or are we never going to meet this mystery woman of yours outside of Instagram?”

“You’ll meet when I think it's right. The last thing I need is for this family to pounce on her and ruin a good thing.”

“We’d never pounce!” said Joey. “We’re not ones to judge.”

Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Please. Do you not remember what happened when I invited Brenda for dinner back in sophomore year?”

“Brenda was a psycho bitch.” Chris spun around to point at Wyatt. “Did you forget that she went off on dad because she felt threatened how he passed the bread?”

“The point isー” started Wyatt.

Joey patted Wyatt’s back. “You want to make sure that Veronica isn’t low-key crazy? Didn’t you say she’s cool with your porn? And she’s a witch. She sounds pretty cool.”

Wyatt smirked. He could see Joey buttering him up into arranging something. “Okay. Maybe you two and Bianca can meet her sometime soon.”

Chris gave them a thumb’s up. “Glad you trust us!” 

As they prepared to leave for the market, the demon Neco shimmered into the hallway. The brothers jumped back as they faced this sickly pale-skinned demon with glassy eyes. Neco smiled, his face appearing to crack from such a simple gesture to make him appear all the more unsettling and frightening. 

Neco flicked his wrist to summon a fireball. He thought of his promise with Abigor. All he needed to do was survive long enough to banish the brothers, then he’d finally meet the end of his suffering. “Am I interrupting something, Charmed Ones?”

“Yeah!” said Joey. “A lovely Sunday.”

Neco tossed the fireball with it sailing towards Joey. Wyatt got in the way as he started forming his force field. Before the force field could fully manifest, Neco’s fireball zoomed faster and struck Wyatt’s force field with a great impact. Wyatt got blown across the hallway, crashing back into the dining room.

Joey screamed as he went to check on Wyatt, while Chris swung his arm. The telekinetic force lifted Neco from his feet and tossed him into the living room. Chris rushed into the dining room too as Wyatt started to bounce back.

Wyatt held his head. “Fuck! That hurt.”

“Here.” Christ started helping Wyatt to his feet.

Meanwhile, Neco shimmered in front of them. He went into his pocket to grab the potion vial that contained the magma-colored liquid. He tossed it at the brothers’ feet.

Joey didn’t notice the potion in time. However, he did prepare for a counter-attack. He flicked his wrist to summon an energy ball that he absorbed from a demon that he tossed at full force. With the rage in his heart from seeing Wyatt injured, the energy ball grew stronger. Strong enough that when it crashed into Neco, it incinerated the demon with a single blast.

Neco laughed as his body burned into ash.

Wyatt shook his head. “That was easy.” He started to move when he stepped into the potion. The magma simmered on the wooden floor and against his boots. “Uh...that isn’t good.” Chris and Joey looked down as the liquid started to spread. They backed away as they didn’t know what to expect next.

As the liquid spread, it created a dimensional warp with a gravitational pull that started to drag them. 

“Not this again!” shouted Joey as he started having flashbacks of Kasey and Urci.

At that second, the front door opened with a cheery Piper and Leo stepping inside. They screamed as they realized something was happening to the brothers. Chris stopped them from getting any closer as he hit them with a telekinetic blast. 

Wyatt grabbed onto Chris and Joey. He started to orb them away from the dimensional warp; however, the gravitational pull proved far too strong. The orb trail began to crumble into the warp as they got pulled into another timeline as Abigor intended.

“Boys!” shouted Piper and Leo. 

However, nothing could help them. The portal closed as the last of the orbs disappeared, leaving no sign of the brothers.

*~*

The portal opened itself over a ravaged corner of San Francisco, at a park near a broken statue and marble column. Nature reclaimed much of the space as people abandoned the area, leaving behind nothing more than a forgotten age. The brothers descended from the portal and landed on the dry, cracked soil and weeds with a hard thump as the portal disappeared. 

Their groans echoed for a moment as they started to pull themselves up.

Wyatt looked at the damaged walls surrounding this corner. He spotted from the cracked walls that it appeared like San Francisco but far more wartorn then what they knew. “This looks like a dystopian hellscape. What mediocre, young adult novel do you think we’re in?”

Joey gagged as he took in their surroundings. “This looks like some _Hunger Games_ / _Divergent_ bullshit.” Wyatt glanced at Joey since he was only half-joking, but Joey took him seriously. And being a hot mess, Joey did have a brief obsession with dystopian books.

“Oh, no!” Chris blinked. He started to recall the memories from the other Chris. As those memories flashed, he pictured the other Chris with another Bianca getting engaged on this spot. “We need to get out of here! We’re not safe here.”

“No, duh!” said Joey. “This place is pretty rough.”

“Not that!” Chris grabbed their arms. He tried to get them to move it before it was too late. “This place. I know it because of the other Chris. That portal sent us to his timeline!”

Wyatt gulped. “His timeline. The one where mom and our aunts are dead. And I’m evil?”

“That one!” said Chris. 

“Move it!” Joey started to make a run for it when they began to hear a buzzing sound. They stopped in their tracks as they saw a trio of drones descend from the sky as they stepped away from the concealed portion of the park. They saw nobody else around them but got a glimpse of a broken Golden Gate Bridge.

The drones hovered in front of the brothers. The drones started scanning the brothers with a yellow light.

The drones began buzzing. “DNA match. Master Wyatt. DNA match. Christopher Halliwell, traitor. DNA...unidentfiable.”

Joey knew that the drones were bad-mouthing him. “Unidentifiable! I’m a proud faggot and witch, robo dicks!”

Chris extended his hands out. Electricity traveled across his chest through his arms as he shot down the drones. The electricity short-circuited the drones, causing an explosion that ensured that they couldn’t continue the scan. “Hopefully, they didn’t transmit the data.” He turned to Wyatt and Joey. “We really need to go. The last thing we need is for Evil Wyatt or his demons to find us.”

They nodded as they started making a run for it.

*~*

Running across a wartorn San Francisco in a dark, dystopian future, the brothers didn’t know what to make of everything they saw. Even the memories that Chris acquired from the other Chris felt like it didn’t lay out the hellscape that they entered. They raced what were clearly the new slums of the city before arriving at a part of the city that looked somewhat well-maintained even as many of the buildings were half-destroyed. 

Exhaustion quickly followed from all the running. The brothers had to stop, but as soon as they did, they began to notice how much they stood out amongst the public. Their fashions were far too bright, cheery, and sexy compared to everyone else. The public wore far more conservative styles with muted colors, not quite the typical grey appearance of a dystopia or the colorfully odd fashions of the Capitol from the _Hunger Games_ but something in-between.

Joey forced himself to breathe normally as he tried not to look at all the prying eyes. “Somehow, I think being here is worse than sticking around at the park. We should orb somewhere. Anywhere but here.”

Wyatt nodded. “Agreed. But where can we go? The manor?”

Chris shook his head. “It’s a museum here that Evil Wyatt uses to bask in his glory. Um...where did the other Chris and Bianca lie low?”

However, they didn’t have the chance to think that one out as six demons in dark suits shimmered onto the street. The public started to back away, not from fear that demons were out in public but because they knew of the emanate dangers. The brothers stood in a circle around each other, ready to keep each other protected as they could still rely on their magic. 

The demons watched the brothers closely. One with a buzz cut stepped forward, a tablet in hand as he pulled up some report. “The traitor and two anomalies. Someone we have no record of but of similar blood and someone else with the same DNA as our supreme leader. What type of trick is this?”

“Trick?” Wyatt said, deepening his voice to sound tough. “There is no trick. I am your supreme leader!”

“Oh really?” said an unknown voice

The demons smirked. A set of black orbs materialized and solidified to form a familiar face. Wyatt stood frighteningly still while Chris and Joey’s jaws dropped. A wicked smile crossed the man’s face as he appeared exactly like their Wyatt, except with longer, curlier hair and a stubbly beard. He seemed to have a few more pounds of muscle than their Wyatt, painfully reinforcing this idea of an Evil Wyatt.

Evil Wyatt strutted across the street in a fitted red leather jacket that clung against his chest and a pair of dark pants. His boots clicked over the concrete as he presented himself with such grace and power that they felt as though they were in the presence of the Devil himself. He squinted his hazel eyes, which almost appeared to darken as he stared at them.

Evil Wyatt’s eyes first locked onto Chris. “You’re not my Chris. And he hasn’t returned in years. Am I to assume you know something about that?” Before Chris could respond, Evil Wyatt turned his attention onto Wyatt. He huffed as he looked at this inferior version of himself. “You’re why my Chris isn’t here. Let me guess; he succeeded in his little mission to create a future where I didn’t claim power but died in the process.” He huffed once more. “Disgusting. Me as a good boy looks like a cheap whore.”

Wyatt gave his evil counterpart the middle finger. “I also know my way around a wrench and tire iron.”

Evil Wyatt ignored Wyatt. He turned to Joey instead. He paused for a moment, but it soon dawned on him once he noticed enough of a resemblance. “So, in this other timeline, mother and father stayed together long enough to have another child.” Evil Wyatt smirked. “I take it that you’re the Charmed Ones too.”

“Damn skippy, you musty ass evil bitch!” said Joey.

Evil Wyatt cackled, while his demon groupies remained silent. He had an honest smile as he kept staring at Joey. “Ah! You’ve got a mouth on you. We really are brothers.” Evil Wyatt flicked his wrist. A fireball with metal rings floated around it materialized in hand. “It looks like I’ll finally get the power that I’ve always dreamed of wielding.” Evil Wyatt launched the fireball when Wyatt used his deflection power to send the fireball sailing into one of the demons, vanquishing him in a single blow. Evil Wyatt shrugged as it didn’t bother him to see a demon die. “You’re not as weak as you appear. Interesting.”

“You have no idea how powerful I am, punk,” said Wyatt.

Chris grabbed onto Wyatt’s arm. “Don’t tick off the dictator. He isn’t the Source, but he’s damn near as powerful.”

“Restrain them!” shouted Evil Wyatt. 

The demons started to charge at the brothers. Wyatt blasted a demon with molecular combustion, Chris shot a pair with electricity, and Joey flung a pair of energy balls. The demons died from the blasts, but it wasn’t over yet. Evil Wyatt would snap his fingers. Several more demons began to appear to replace the ones that died.

Evil Wyatt grinned as he had his arms folded behind his back. He could summon as many demons as it would take to claim his heart’s desire. “There is no end for you, boys. Give up now, and I may let the whore live.”

Wyatt glared at his evil self. “Who are you calling a whore, whore!” He blasted a pair of demons with molecular combustion to keep them from getting any closer. Meanwhile, Chris swung his arm to send a telekinetic blast that hurled more back, and Joey kicked a demon in the groin before punching the demon across the face.

More demons continued to surround the brothers. Wyatt acted quickly to buy them some time as he projected a massive force field that repelled the demons. However, Evil Wyatt swung his arm, which popped Wyatt’s force field like a bubble. The blast sent the brothers flying down the street as the demons started to regroup.

Joey stumbled to his feet. “That asshole is strong.”

“Told you.” Chris helped Wyatt up. “We need a plan.”

Wyatt glared at Evil Wyatt. “I have one. It’s kill that bastard!”

As Wyatt started making his move, a set of light-blue orbs arrived. Wyatt stopped with Chris and Joey gasping as they saw Leo in a half-torn flannel shirt and jeans, except an older, exhausted-looking version of him. Leo’s eyes widened as he saw them with his own eyes.

Leo started to pull them closer. “I didn’t want to believe it, but you’re really here. We need to leave.”

Chris stammered. “But we’re not really yourー”

Leo nodded. “I’m an Elder. I know that you’re not my boys. But I will still protect you.” Leo grabbed onto Chris and Wyatt. He extended his hand out to Joey as he started to orb them out, but it wouldn’t prove that easy.

Evil Wyatt swung his arm. His power pushed through Leo’s orbs to separate Joey from them. The orbs swallowed Leo, Chris, and Wyatt as they were allowed to escape, while Joey got thrown against a nearby building.

Joey crashed into the wall. He groaned as he struggled to move as the demons caught up and started to hold him down. “Let me go! I’m going to kill all of you!” He tried to kick his captors and pull himself free, but he was too exhausted from the fighting. Joey looked up as Evil Wyatt appeared, standing over him.

“Hello, little brother.” Evil Wyatt grinned. He brought a hand to Joey’s face, acting surprisingly gentle despite being so wicked. “There isn’t a need for us to fight. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

*~*

Leo’s orbs brought them to an unknown location across the city. They fully materialized in an empty basement, but one that looked surprisingly clean that signaled it was connected to a secret base of some kind.

However, Wyatt and Chris didn’t take the time to adjust to their surroundings. Naturally, their concerns drifted onto Joey since they knew that Evil Wyatt stopped Joey from leaving with them.

“We have to go back!” said Wyatt. “We have to save Joey!”

“We can’t.” Leo held his hands up. “If we go back, then Wyatt will kill us.”

“Fuck!” Chris kicked the ground. He regretted that since he wore a flimsy pair of running shoes that didn’t cushion him from much pain. “Not even an hour in this hellhole, and we already lost Joey.”

“Raaah!” Wyatt punched the wall. He ignored the pain coursing across his arm. “What do we do now? Even if that evil asshole wasn’t around, we still need Joey to get back home. We can’t do shit without the Power of Three!”

Leo smiled, tears swelling up in his eyes. “The Power of Three. So you are Charmed. Like your mom.”

Chris and Wyatt looked at Leo. They noticed how tired this Leo looked before, but it was more than exhaustion. They looked at this Leo and saw nothing of their father; this was the face of a man who had lost everything and given up hope on anything ever being good again. And they knew why this Leo was so broken. They recalled that Piper died when Evil Wyatt and the other Chris were still boys. And in this timeline, Piper never reunited with Leo, which meant that they never had the chance to have Joey. 

“Yeah.” Chris stepped closer to Leo. “We are. That’s why we need to get Joey back. So, where’s the evil asshole holed up? You’re his father and an Elder. It shouldn’t be that hard for you to find him.”

Leo chuckled. “You’re not as mean as my Chris.” He looked at Chris then to Wyatt. “I’m glad that there’s at least one timeline where you’re close, and things are better for all of us. As for your brother, I know where he is. I think. But it won’t be easy. Wyatt will hold him prisoner at his base, which is filled with demons. He isn’t the Source, butー”

“He’s basically the King of Demons,” said a high-feminine voice.

A set of footsteps descended from the stairs. Wyatt and Chris looked to see three young women approaching them. The women didn’t stand out much as they wore equally war-torn clothing as they sacrificed fashion for practicality. They looked tough enough to kill about anyone despite their youthful faces that signaled that they were about the same age. But like Leo, they appeared equally as broken. However, instead of surrendering to the despair of their hearts, they held their heads high as they presented themselves as warriors. Unwilling to surrender and uncompromising. 

However, it didn’t take Wyatt and Chris much to notice a faint resemblance. Chris flinched as he touched his forehead as a set of memories flashed before him that belonged to the other Chris of these women. 

Chris smiled. “Phoebe and Paige did have kids before they died.”

Leo nodded as he introduced the young women. He placed a hand on a woman with dark-brown hair and an Amazon-like build as she kept herself fit from boxing. “This is Parker, Phoebe’s eldest.” Leo went to a younger woman with dirty-blonde hair that, while more petite, had a look in her that screamed she could fuck someone up just as easily and wasn't afraid to fight dirty. “And this is Phoebe’s youngest, Peyton.” Leo gestured to the third woman with black hair and a jagged scar on her left cheek. She held herself like a fighter, too, reminding them of someone more on the crafty side like Joey. “And this is Paige’s daughter, Kat.”

Chris pointed at them. “Your dads then. Are they Coop and Henry?”

“Who?” asked Peyton. “My dad is Dex Lawson. And Parker’s dad is Jason Dean.”

Kat raised her hand. “And my dad is Richard Montana.”

Wyatt and Chris glanced at each other. They recalled the names, but it took them a minute to know-how. That’s when they remembered Phoebe’s old boss Jason while Dex used to live in the same building as her old condo, both of whom would break up with her after finding out she was a witch. And Richard was a witch from the family that once feuded with each other that resulted in the death of his fiance, which Paige narrowly managed to bring that to an end before it killed him too. They would break up only because of Richard feeling addicted to his magic and deciding to strip himself of his powers to fix himself.

Wyatt stomped on the ground. “It looks like this timeline is very different from ours.” He side-eyed Chris, who muttered his agreement. 

Parker tossed her hair across her shoulder. “Enough about us. You two are here. That means our Chris succeeded then. He created a timeline where Wyatt didn’t go evil? But it didn’t change anything.”

Wyatt shrugged. “I guess time isn’t that easy to manipulate. He didn’t change this one; he only created a new one.”

“I had a feeling that would happen.” Leo shook his head. “It would've taken far more power than what Chris had to reshape time directly. A god could do it, or if he at least had power comparable to the Power of Three. But Chris and Bianca didn’t listen.”

“And they died for it,” said Kat. “Great. Now, we have these two.”

“Three!” corrected Chris. “There are three of us, but Evil Wyatt is holding our brother prisoner.”

Parker, Peyton, and Kat glanced at each other. They didn’t want to show any optimism as Peyton pointed at them. “Are you Charmed Ones?” Wyatt and Chris nodded. Peyton laughed in such a way that it made her stomach ache. “We can stop him. We can stop Wyatt!”

“Stop Wyatt?” asked Wyatt. “The evil one, right?”

“Yeah.” Kat stuffed her hands into her pockets. “Wyatt is too powerful. And even with Chris, we didn’t stand a chance against him. And we couldn’t channel a proper Power of Three, so all our attacks were useless. But you two, you three, you can stop Wyatt.”

Parked nodded as her mind buzzed with ideas. “We’ll help you save your brother if you help us stop Wyatt. Deal?”

Leo almost objected, but Wyatt and Chris didn’t hesitate. 

“Deal!” Wyatt and Chris extended their hands out to shake in agreement with their alternate timeline cousins.

*~*

Joey stood next to a window, overlooking the city as he was now held prisoner in Evil Wyatt’s penthouse. Where Joey expected a dark dungeon that Evil Wyatt would spend his days twiddling his fingers; instead, Joey found the place had a somewhat homey feel. It was modern enough that it likely was built right before Evil Wyatt’s rise to power that saw the rest of the city’s destruction. Everything in the place appeared relatively new with the design looking like it came from one of the Housewives’ reality shows. 

The oddest part to Joey was his freedom. Evil Wyatt made no effort to restrain or bind Joey’s powers or even have demonic prison guards. 

It left a sinking dread forming in the pit of Joey’s stomach. He didn’t know how to keep his guard up in this situation. 

Footsteps echoed across the tiled floor. Joey looked behind him to see Evil Wyatt approaching, a bottle of water. Evil Wyatt tossed the bottle with Joey, barely managing to catch it. 

Evil Wyatt huffed. “You come from a happier timeline, and yet father never played catch with you?”

“I’m gay. The lessons didn’t stick.” Joey checked the lid. The factory seal was still maintained, but he still didn’t trust it. “You going to poison me?

“If I were going to do anything to you, then I would’ve already done so.”

Joey shrugged. Evil Wyatt could’ve done about anything and got away with it. Joey sipped the water. It tasted fine, and he didn’t feel any different. “So...what’s the plan, alternate universe bro? Kill us and spread your evil across the multiverse?”

Evil Wyatt chuckled. He joined Joey near the window. He gazed upon the world that he ruled so effortlessly. “Evil. Good. Those are such meaningless descriptors. It is all about power, little brother. Something that it appears that you and your brothers haven’t learned.”

“Says the witch turned Source!”

“I am not the Source.” Evil Wyatt raised an eyebrow. He watched as Joey drank about half the bottle. “My Chris. Do you know what he changed exactly to make our timelines different?”

Joey nodded. “Right before Chris was born, Gideon tricked mom and dad that they saved baby you. So your Chris was going to return to the future when dad decided to go with him, prompting Gideon to send them into a parallel universe instead. That’s when Gideon made his move to kidnap baby you, but dad, Phoebe, Paige, and your Chris stopped him as mom was in labor. Your Chris died in dad’s arms after trying to stop Gideon from kidnapping baby you. That gave dad all the motivation that he needed to kill Gideon to save you and avenge your Chris.”

A tear trickled down Evil Wyatt’s face. He hid the emotion from Joey, but Joey caught a glimmer of his humanity. He took a deep breath to stop himself. “It took mother and our aunts almost a month to find me. The Elders forbade father from getting involved, even as one of their own chased me across the Underworld, trying to kill me. A Seer named Kyra took pity on me, she protected me for a time before Gideon killed her too. Eventually, mother found me and vanquished Gideon herself.”

Joey closed his eyes. He heard the theory of what might cause Wyatt to go evil, but to hear it from Evil Wyatt himself; it made his heartache. “That doesn’t excuse you of all the evil things you did,” said Joey, “but...I’m sorry that you went through that trauma. No one should’ve endured such pain.”

“It made me the man that I am.” Evil Wyatt clenched his fist. Black orbs gathered for a moment before he released the magical buildup. “I took power to end this nonsense between good and evil. With my power, I can end all the suffering.”

“Your world hardly looks like one of peace. It’s some _1984_ shit, Big Brother.”

Evil Wyatt smirked. “Freedom is an illusion. Our timelines’ histories aren't so different. Look to the past, and you will see that this outcome is better than the path we’ve been steamrolling down.”

Joey shook his head. “I think they’d rather have some semblance of freedom, even if it means enduring a Trump presidency.”

“The reality TV host with the hairpiece?” Evil Wyatt squinted his eyes. “He becomes president in your timeline? And you honestly think that’s a better outcome.”

Under different circumstances, Joey wouldn’t have defended the nightmare of Trump’s presidency. However, Joey was in a real dystopia now. He pointed at the demons at all corners of the penthouse that stood guard over Evil Wyatt. “Says the demon king!” Joey shook his head. “How did you do it? You’re not the Source, but the demons still obey you?”

Evil Wyatt pushed the balcony door open. Evil Wyatt gestured for Joey to follow, which Joey hesitated at first but reminded himself that if Evil Wyatt would kill him, then he’d do it at any point.

The cool breeze brushed against their skin as they could overlook much of the city. While not the tallest of buildings, at least in Joey’s timeline, the penthouse was on the tallest surviving building in the city. 

“Demons respond to the powerful,” said Evil Wyatt. “And I am the most powerful being to walk this world, especially once I drew Excalibur. A few demons like Zankou and the Triad tried to stop me, but they’re in the Wasteland now.” He started to chuckle. He leaned back against the railing to look closely as Joey, who kept some distance from the railing. “Many demons did offer to make me the Source, but I am not that foolish. I crave power, but not the kind that the Source offers.”

Joey gulped. He ignored the lightheadedness he felt from them being so high above the city to focus on Evil Wyatt’s words. “In my timeline, I had a premonition. There are these demons part of something called the Hellfire Club that will create a new Source, even though some of their members betrayed the Source.”

“Then, they are desperate or foolish. The Source is the essence of pure evil. It’s why I refused the offer. You are not the Source, nor do you control the power. The Source controls you. You should know this.” Evil Wyatt gently nudged Joey back into the penthouse. The doors closed as Evil Wyatt wagged his finger. “The essence of the Source was destroyed when the Seer took Cole and Aunt Phoebe’s unborn son. The amount of magic necessary to reconstitute the Source’s essence would need to be comparable to the Power of Three, or myself at my fullest potential.”

“Which wouldn’t be worth it then,” said Joey. “The Hellfire Club is plenty powerful enough without the Source leading them, so why risk it?”

“As I said, they are desperate or foolish. You likely do something in the future that will force them to act. They would risk eternal torment for the chance at seeing you defeated.” Evil Wyatt brought Joey to the living room. They took a seat together on a sofa, while the demons left the room to give them more privacy. “Not that you’ll need to worry about that anymore.”

“What?” Joey started to move from the sofa when Evil Wyatt squinted. A telekinetic weight forced Joey to stay seated. 

Evil Wyatt smirked once more. “I need more power to make my utopian vision a reality. Some resist my rule, mostly remnants of the old order. My Chris is gone, so I cannot rely on him to help me. However, there is you and your Chris. Together, we can harness the Power of Three of this world and bring peace.”

Joey pushed against Evil Wyatt’s power but wasn’t strong enough to break free. “And what about my Wyatt?”

“Your Wyatt has no place in my world, so I will kill him.”

*~*

Leo brought Wyatt and Chris to their true headquarters. They emerged from the basement to a dusty, abandoned storefront. The shelves were mostly cleared, but they saw enough books and supplies that made it clear that they were in an occult shop. The windows were all boarded up, and the walls glistened with a web of magic. Leo explained that their rebellion used this as a warehouse that acted as a blindspot in Evil Wyatt’s territory. 

They learned more about the world that Evil Wyatt held close. He easily controlled the Americas and half of Asia. The remaining governments of the world did all that they could to maintain peaceful cooperation even as he sent his demons to put these nations under his thumb. 

“I can’t believe that evil me exposed all of magic,” said Wyatt. “Why didn’t the Cleaners or Tribunal stop him?”

Leo frowned. He didn’t have the chance to speak as their cousins joined them.

Kat stuffed her hands into her pockets. “Because he killed them. When the Tribunal sent the Cleaners to stop our Wyatt, he killed them. Then, he killed the Tribunal.”

Chris’s jaw dropped. “Is he really that powerful?”

“Nearly invincible,” said Peyton. 

Leo nodded. “After that, he went after the Elders. He wanted revenge for what Gideon did.”

Wyatt shrugged. “I can’t blame him for that part.”

“Neither did we,” said Parker, “but now it’s only Uncle Leo and six other Elders out there, trying to keep this world from falling apart. And not even the Angels of Destiny have shown any willingness to intervene. We can't tell if its part of the Grand Design or if the Angels are afraid of Wyatt's power. You see why we need you to stop him.”

“Right.” Wyatt scratched his head. “Do you have any idea how we do that?”

Leo closed his eyes. His skin appeared paler than before, which worried Chris and Wyatt.

Peyton walked towards a wooden box near the broken cash register. She grabbed a sheet of paper, then handed it over to them. “We never got the chance to use it because it would need the Power of Three to work. And we have nothing better to use since Wyatt has the Book of Shadows.”

Chris and Wyatt read the spell. Their eyes widened. 

“This is a vanquishing spell!” said Chris. 

Wyatt’s jaw quivered. “You’re going to vanquish me?”

“It’s nothing personal,” said Parker. “We’ve been fighting Wyatt for years. Our world is falling apart, and everyone lives in fear. If we’re going to save what’s left of it, then he has to die.”

Chris sighed. He turned to Leo since he noticed how quiet Leo remained. “Would you really allow that to happen? Do you really want us to kill your son?”

Leo frowned. “He’s all that I have left...but he hasn’t been my son for a long time. There’s no way of saving him.”

“Fuck!” said Wyatt.

Chris nodded as he looked around the store. He could spot a few ingredients that might prove helpful. “If we’re going to save our brother and face your Wyatt, then we need major firepower. Do you have a place where we can brew some potions?”

“Back kitchen.” Kat pointed towards a door across from them. “Everything is yours to use. We’ll work on getting reinforcements for the attack.” She would hold onto Parker and Peyton’s hands as she orbed them out of the shop. 

Leo gulped. “I can’t believe this is really going to happen. I’ll give the other Elders a heads up.” He started to orb away too.

With everyone gone, Wyatt punched Chris’s arm. “Is it that easy for you to kill me! Even an evil me?”

Chris smacked Wyatt’s chest. “No! It’s not. But we might not have to kill him.” He pointed to the shelves. Despite the age of the place, they had a decent inventory. “Look at everything here. We should have enough to stop Evil Wyatt some other way. The other Chris doesn’t want to kill his brother, not after all the sacrifices he made. This is our chance to save this Wyatt for real.”

Wyatt smiled. Since hearing of his future, Wyatt feared that Chris and Joey would actually kill him. However, being in the very dark future from his nightmare, Wyatt could see for himself that his brothers would do everything to save him. He hugged Chris. “What’s the plan, smartypants?”

“I’ll re-write the spell. What I need you to do is find some Billing's Root, dandelion, chickweed, and一”

"I know the recipe." Wyatt winked at Chris as he already figured out Chris's plan to stop Evil Wyatt. And it was one that Wyatt thought was a brilliant alternative.

*~*

A demon entered the cleared living room to reach Evil Wyatt and Joey. An hour ago, demons brought in the first report of scattered attacks across the city. It required immediate action since they detected the presence of Leo and Evil Wyatt’s cousins. However, another attack started near the penthouse. 

The demon bowed. “Master! We believe that rebels have entered the building.”

Evil Wyatt huffed. He flicked his wrist to tighten the chains of black orbs around Joey’s wrists. “Of course they are. It looks like our brothers are here, little brother.” Evil Wyatt glanced over his shoulder to face the demon. “Keep the intruders busy.” 

The demon nodded and left to spread the orders. 

However, as soon as the demon left, light-blue orbs gathered. Evil Wyatt didn’t strike as he didn’t want to risk harming Chris, which would put his future Power of Three in unnecessary danger. Wyatt and Chris appeared. Their bodies became tense as they saw Evil Wyatt and the enchained Joey. 

Evil Wyatt spread his arms wide open. Black Orbs gathered around them as he summoned four demons to join them. “What a lovely family reunion. It’s a shame it’ll turn into a funeral soon.”

“Let my brother go, jackass,” said Wyatt. 

“Don’t talk, weakling.” Evil Wyatt smiled at Chris. “Now, come join me, brother. Let us play nice so that we can become this world’s Charmed Ones and bring it true peace.”

“You’re joking,” said Chris.

“He’s not!” Joey stepped around Evil Wyatt while holding up the chains around his arms. “He’s a full dystopian dictator. You either give him what he wants or kill him.”

Wyatt frowned. “Or kill him.” He eyed Chris. “Go. Protect Joey.”

Chris hesitated but followed Wyatt’s orders. He slowly approached Evil Wyatt and Joey. Evil Wyatt responded to the surrender by releasing the orb chains around Joey. Chris grabbed onto Joey’s hands, a glimmer of golden sparks illuminating for a second. Joey shivered from the power but kept his expression as neutral as possible to not ruin the surprise.

Evil Wyatt flicked his wrist. A fireball materialized while the other demons drew fireballs too. “I only require two.” Evil Wyatt glared at Wyatt. “Goodbye, pretender.” 

However, before Evil Wyatt could strike, Chris and Joey made their move. They flicked their hands, which left the demons in the penthouse immobilized. The demons started fighting the freeze, but they didn’t break free quickly enough. Evil Wyatt withdrew his fireball since he felt the disturbance and realized something wasn’t right.

Wyatt raised his arms. Electricity traveled across his body before he fired the blast at Evil Wyatt, sending Evil Wyatt flying across the living room. Chris and Joey ran over to Wyatt as white orbs surrounded Wyatt and Chris. The orbs vanished as it revealed that Wyatt and Chris glamoured into each other to surprise Evil Wyatt.

The demons regained their freedom as Evil Wyatt started to get back to his feet.

Evil Wyatt growled. “Tricky punks!”

Wyatt winked at his evil self. “The things you learn when you have brothers.” He pushed Chris and Joey away from him. “Leave Mussolini to me.” Chris and Joey nodded as they moved after the demons, while Wyatt and Evil Wyatt started to do circles around each other.

A pair of demons ran towards Joey, even as Evil Wyatt reminded them not to kill Joey or Chris. The fact that the demons couldn’t kill meant that Joey and Chris had an advantage. Joey showed no mercy as he flicked his fingers. He blasted the demonic pair with a combustive blast that incinerated them in a single blow.

Electricity traveled along Chris’s arm as he shot at the demons. The electricity zapped them, causing them to burn alive before finally crumbling to ash.

Meanwhile, Wyatt and Evil Wyatt started their fight. They hurled telekinetic blasts with Evil Wyatt, easily demonstrating his superiority. Evil Wyatt naturally had more power, especially given that he was a few years older than Wyatt. Still, Wyatt wasn’t about to surrender. 

“Window!” Light-blue orbs gathered around a window, causing it to shatter. Wyatt twisted his hand to fire the glass like a storm of daggers. Evil Wyatt smirked. Black orbs gathered in front of him to create a barrier that neutralized the glass.

Evil Wyatt flicked his wrist. He ripped a wooden floorboard from the ground and launched it at Wyatt. Wyatt froze the floorboard before brushing it aside. 

However, Evil Wyatt surprised Wyatt by launching a blast of dark energy that struck Wyatt and sent him crashing into the dining room. Wyatt landed on the table, causing it to break from the impact. 

Chris and Joey tried to rush to Wyatt’s aid, but Evil Wyatt intercepted them. Evil Wyatt flung his wrist to pin them against a wall.

Evil Wyatt started approaching Wyatt as he slowly rolled from the broken table. Wyatt didn’t get the chance to get far. Evil Wyatt grabbed Wyatt, slamming him back onto the table. Evil Wyatt’s hand found their way onto Wyatt’s neck and applied pressure. “You really are pathetic. Being good made you too soft. Nothing is redeeming about you. But don’t worry, I’ll keep your brothers safe. I mean, my brothers.”

Wyatt struggled to breathe. His visions blurred, and his body started panicking. “I...I can say the same...about you...evil shit.” Wyatt hissed the words out to conserve breath. He placed a hand onto Evil Wyatt’s chest and ignited a combustive blast. He burned his hand from the close impact, but the blast forced Evil Wyatt to disperse into black orbs.

Wyatt took a deep breath as he started stumbling towards the living room to reunite with Joey and Chris. 

However, the black orbs reformed. Evil Wyatt stood behind Wyatt as he raised his hand. “Excalibur!” Black orbs appeared. Excalibur came to Evil Wyatt’s side and would prove their doom if Wyatt didn’t try something.

Wyatt held out his hand. “Excalibur!” Light-blue orbs swarmed Excalibur. Evil Wyatt flinched as he felt Excalibur pull away as the sword sensed the connection. 

Excalibur started drifting towards Wyatt, but Evil Wyatt would attempt to reclaim it. A golden aura surrounded the sword as the mixture of light-blue and black orbs pulled at it. It would prove too much. The call of two chosen masters caused Excalibur to shatter. The orbs would burst across the penthouse without doing much harm aside from pieces of the sword breaking the walls and windows.

However, a piece of Excalibur would leave a mark on Wyatt. Wyatt gasped as the broken sliver struck him in the chest. 

“Wyatt!” shouted Chris and Joey.

Wyatt collapsed to the ground. Blood poured from the wound as he started wheezing for breath, while Evil Wyatt mocked him. 

Evil Wyatt didn’t express any sympathy as Wyatt neared death. “As I said, I’ll keep my brothers safe.”

“No!” Chris knelt over to hold onto Wyatt. He looked at Joey since Joey did absorb some of Wyatt’s power. However, when Joey attempted to heal Wyatt, nothing happened. 

Tears poured from Joey’s eyes. He tried the piece of Excalibur from Wyatt’s chest, but again nothing happened. “I...I don’t have his Whitelighter powers!”

Chris started crying harder. He orbed the Excalibur piece from Wyatt’s chest before immediately applying his hand over the wound. He used his telekinesis to slow the bleeding, but it wouldn’t be enough to save Wyatt. “Damn it!”

Wyatt gasped for breath as he went into his pocket. He took out a potion vial filled with a blood-red liquid. He gave it to Joey. “Stop him.”

Joey brought the potion to his chest. His heart was hammering against his chest. The grief he had for Wyatt turned to rage towards Evil Wyatt. Joey launched himself at Evil Wyatt only for Evil Wyatt to grab onto him. Joey dropped the potion, but it didn’t break. 

“Don’t fight this!” said Evil Wyatt. “This is our destiny.”

Joey grabbed onto Evil Wyatt’s hand. He closed his eyes and braced himself for every nasty feeling as the golden light signaled him absorbing Evil Wyatt’s powers.

Meanwhile, Chris pressed his forehead against Wyatt’s head. He kept his hand over the wound as he tried to slow the bleeding, but he could also feel Wyatt’s pulse fading. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. I’m sorry that I can’t save you.”

Wyatt closed his eyes. He placed his hand over Chris’s hand. “Ok...ay.”

Chris gasped. It wasn’t okay. It wasn’t okay that Chris couldn’t heal Wyatt. Chris wouldn’t accept this outcome. “No! I’m going to save you! I will save you, damn it! I love you, Wyatt!”

The words boomed across the penthouse. Even Evil Wyatt went still as he couldn’t think of the last time that his Chris said those words. Evil Wyatt would release Joey in the process, allowing Joey to kick Evil Wyatt. Joey applied telekinetic force to send Evil Wyatt crashing against a wall. Joey flicked his wrist. Black orbs surrounded the floorboards as Joey launched them at Evil Wyatt, keeping him pinned down.

Meanwhile, Chris’s words awoke something deep in his heart, something connected to the other Chris too. Bright light emerged from Chris’s hand that started to heal Wyatt’s wound. Chris’s eyes bulged from his skull as he saw that he finally learned how to heal. 

Wyatt gasped as he narrowly avoided death. He squeezed onto Chris’s hand, gently pushing it away to see that the wound was gone. “You saved me!”

Chris smiled, sniffling back his tears. “I did!”

Joey slid towards them, throwing his arms around Wyatt. Wyatt chuckled as he hugged Joey too, but the moment ended as they heard Evil Wyatt growl. 

Evil Wyatt pulled himself up. Oddly enough, he had tears running down his face too. Wyatt and Chris thought it was because they had the upper hand now, but Joey knew the truth.

Joey frowned. “You could’ve had this too if you never went down this path. Your Chris loved you like we love our Wyatt.”

Evil Wyatt shook his head. “It’s too late for that.”

“It is.” Joey waved his hand at the potion vial. Black orbs surrounded it as he launched the potion at Evil Wyatt, which shattered in front of him.

A cloud of noxious smoke covered Evil Wyatt. He swung his arms to push the fumes away. However, they wouldn’t allow Evil Wyatt to escape punishment.

Chris grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket. He crossed out the vanquishing spell that Peyton gave them, rewriting something new. He kept it visible to Wyatt and Joey as it would take them working in unison. They couldn’t take any chance as they needed to ensure that the spell worked on someone as powerful as Evil Wyatt.

“ _Twice-blessed twisted by trauma. We strip your magic. We strip your strength. We strip your power. Now and forever._ ” 

Evil Wyatt screamed. 

Black orbs escaped from Evil Wyatt’s body as he dropped to his hands and knees. All the power that he accumulated faded. Every part of his body felt like it weighed a ton. And everything would ache terribly. He tried to swing his arm, but nothing would happen. There was no magic left in him.

Evil Wyatt slammed his fist to the ground. “You...you ruined me.”

They started to get up. They showed no fear since Evil Wyatt no longer had the power to do anything to them. 

Chris slipped away from Wyatt and Joey. He knelt over to look Evil Wyatt in the eyes. “We saved you from yourself. The alternative was death.”

Evil Wyatt shook his head. “You should’ve killed me.”

Before Chris could attempt to say anything else, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He touched his heart as wisps of light emerged from his body. He slipped to the ground with Wyatt and Joey rushing over, while a ghostly specter appeared. 

The ghost became clear as the Chris of this timeline. Ghost Chris shimmered in the light as he touched Evil Wyatt’s shoulder, forcing Evil Wyatt to look at him. “ _I wish I could’ve saved you sooner, brother_ ,” whispered Ghost Chris.

Evil Wyatt started to cry. He didn’t cry from anger or from the loss of his powers. Instead, he cried because of his Chris’s words. “Chris, I一”

“ _I love you too, Wyatt._ ” Ghost Chris faded as he could properly rest in peace, no longer as a restless spirit or tethered to Chris. Ghost Chris could know true peace in his world.

Evil Wyatt cried harder as Ghost Chris vanished. With the power that Evil Wyatt gone, he was left with nothing else but the loss and trauma that fueled his actions. And only time would tell what would become of him.

*~*

In the aftermath of the battle, Evil Wyatt remained a broken mess. Wyatt stood guard over his evil doppelganger, while Chris and Joey returned to the living room after raiding the penthouse to find this timeline’s Book of Shadows.

Moments later, light-blue orbs appeared in the penthouse. Leo and the cousins arrived, their eyes wide with surprise as they saw that Evil Wyatt still lived. 

Parker clenched her fists as she glared at Evil Wyatt. “You didn’t vanquish him?”

“No.” Chris handed the Book of Shadows to Peyton. “We couldn’t vanquish our brother, and it wasn’t our place to do so since this isn’t our world.”

Joey waved at his alternate timeline family since he didn’t get the chance to meet them before, but Wyatt and Chris did tell him about them. “On the bright side, we did strip him of his powers. So he isn’t a threat, and whatever you decide to do is on your shoulders.”

Peyton nodded as she pressed the Book of Shadows against her chest. It wasn’t the exact outcome that they hoped, but she couldn’t deny that it proved equally as effective. “And now we can begin the work of putting this world back together. It won’t be easy.”

“But we’ll make it work.” Kat smirked. “Thanks for the help.”

Wyatt pulled Evil Wyatt to his feet. He shoved Evil Wyatt towards Leo. “Glad to help. But we should get home before god knows what chaos befalls our timeline.”

Evil Wyatt huffed. His pain was forgotten for a moment as he recouped his arrogance. “Like the new Source?” He gave a half-smirk towards Joey. “Hell awaits you in your timeline. You would’ve been better off charting a new future here.”

“They won’t abandon their duty.” Leo grabbed onto Evil Wyatt’s arm. Surprisingly, Leo used a firm grip to hold Evil Wyatt after spending years effectively babying Evil Wyatt. “They will protect the innocent from evil. Not become wicked themselves to torment the powerless.” Leo drew an athame from his pocket. The athame had a crystal blade that reflected against the penthouse’s lights with a sapphire attached to the handle and a triquetra etched onto the handle. 

Evil Wyatt frowned. “So now that I’m powerless, you would kill me, father?”

Leo shook his head. “This isn’t for you. It's to send them home.” Leo looked away from Evil Wyatt. He closed his eyes and sighed. “You are my greatest regret, Wyatt. But you are all that I have left. I won’t leave you to rot alone.” Evil Wyatt appeared shocked to hear Leo speak so harshly yet truthful. 

Leo handed the athame to Wyatt. “The other Elders and I blessed it. Between that and the Power of Three, you should have everything you need to return home.”

“Thank you.” Wyatt smiled at Leo, giving Leo the hope of what life could be like if Evil Wyatt changed even in the slightest. Wyatt turned to Chris and Joey. “How do we get home?”

Chris shrugged. “I guess we need a spell?”

“I got one!” Joey grabbed onto the athame’s handle, while nudging at Chris to do the same. Wyatt and Chris stared at Joey since they didn’t know how he would have a spell ready. “You left me your evil twin’s prisoner for a while. I got bored and started thinking of spells.” He glanced at Evil Wyatt. “You’re lucky that we didn’t use the dozen vanquishing spells I came up with, dick.”

Evil Wyatt chuckled. “Now, I’m glad I didn’t have another sibling.”

Ignoring Evil Wyatt, Joey began to recite the spell he had memorized so that they could make their way home and leave this timeline to its fate.

*~*

“Come on! Help us!” In the dining room, Piper frantically flipped the pages of the Book of Shadows for any spell or potion that might help find her boys. 

Leo stood over her shoulder, trying to read the book, but she didn’t give him much time to see any of the pages. He tried to get Piper to calm down a little so that they could actually do some good. 

Meanwhile, a ripple of magic manifested in the manor. Piper and Leo looked up to find a portal opening near the portal that dragged the boys into the dark timeline. Three sets of white light emerged from the portal with Wyatt, Chris, and Joey returning home. The athame that the other Leo gave them shattered as it used all of its power to bring them back.

The portal sealed itself, too, ending the frightening experience.

“Boys!” Piper and Leo ran after them, hugs quickly exchanged. 

“What happened?” asked Leo. “Where did you go?”

Wyatt looked at Chris and Joey. They sighed before explaining how they ended up in the dark timeline and everything that happened. The story, the pain, experiencing the other Chris’s world, and seeing Evil Wyatt for himself. Everything that they told Piper and Leo left them horrified as they knew the dark turn that their timeline could’ve taken if things played out a little differently.

All they could do know was thank the gods that they were back home and hope that the dark timeline could have a happier future. 

Piper and Leo left to work on dinner since the boys were in no mood to cook. 

Wyatt left the dining room and started to make his way out of the manor. He stopped on the front steps and instead took a seat on the cement. He looked out to the neighborhood of their San Francisco as the sun started setting, watching as everything appeared peaceful. At least on the surface level. 

Footsteps followed as Chris and Joey joined Wyatt on the front steps. They managed to squeeze together, with only minimally sitting on each other. Wyatt wrapped his arms around Chris and Joey, pulling them close. He cried.

“If...if I ever become like the other me,” started Wyatt, choking on his tears. 

Chris squeezed onto Wyatt’s hand. “You won’t. You’ll never be like him.”

Joey nodded as he hugged Wyatt. “Because you have us. We’ll always keep you grounded.”

Wyatt smiled even as he continued to cry. “I love you, guys.”

“Love you too,” whispered Chris and Joey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this the last time we'll ever see the dark timeline? Maybe. Maybe not. Evil Wyatt and the cousins may have cameos in other chapters. Also, if you read the comics, then I'm sure you recognized the cousins' names. I decided to use Phoebe and Paige's other daughters' names for them to help flesh out the dark timeline a bit more, plus, gave them different dads since evens are different. And for the power-stripping spell, again if you read the comics, you'll recognize it as the one used against Neena. While Neena is going to appear in this fic, she won't have the same storyline which is why I choose to recycle the spell for Evil Wyatt. How she'll appear in this fic, well, you'll have to wait and see!
> 
> Now, in the next chapter, we going to see something a little different as the past continues to mess with the brothers. Although, at a very different pace then what we've seen so far. Tune in next week to see what happens!


	19. Stench of Failure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! The fall semester starts this week so we'll see how well I can keep up with these updates. Fingers crossed that the story stays weekly! At least you can enjoy this long chapter as we see the stakes getting even higher.

Almost a month after their trip to the dark timeline, the Charmed Ones picked up their lives once more to move past the trauma. Chris retained the clarity he had even as the other Chris finally moved on and also started talking to Bianca about possibly moving in together since she took over her mom’s lease. As for Joey, he valued his life a bit more since he saw how bad things could turn out in a timeline without him. And Wyatt realized the depth of his powers and the damage he could do. It made Wyatt less arrogant as he took a more cautious approach at life so that he’d never make the choices that Evil Wyatt did.

The first thing Wyatt did when he came back to their timeline was to cut his hair and beard. He didn’t want to look like Evil Wyatt in the slightest. He kept his curls short and tight, while his face would remain clean-shaven until he got over his trauma.

The second thing he did was introduce Veronica to Piper and Leo. Last week, they went out to a carnival with Joey, Chris, and Bianca to help break the ice between them. And since everything went so well, Wyatt figured now was as good as a time as ever for Veronica to meet the parents. Even as they didn’t quite make it official yet as they were still at the dating stage, things appear to approach the direction of being a couple.

Wyatt unlocked the manor’s front door. He announced his presence as he entered with Veronica, while also holding a bottle of wine. “Party’s here! Where’s everyone at?”

“Kitchen!” said Piper.

“Sunroom!” said Chris and Leo.

“None your damn business!” said Joey.

Wyatt rolled his eyes. He tossed their jackets into the coat closet. “Love the manners, Joey. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

Joey seemed to appear from nowhere, but he came from the living room. He punched Wyatt’s arm before taking the wine bottle from him. “My mommy and my daddy!” Joey stuck his tongue out at Wyatt. Then, he went over to hug Veronica. “Hi, Veronica! How are you?”

Veronica chuckled as she hugged Joey. “I’m good.” She gestured at them. “A very interesting relationship you two have. It makes me glad that I’m an only child.”

“Lucky.” Wyatt shoved Joey in the direction of the kitchen. Joey took the hint as he left to put the wine in the fridge. As Wyatt and Veronica neared the sunroom, they got ambushed. Chris and Bianca greeted them with Leo following behind them. “Veronica, this is my dad, Leo. Before he died and became a Whitelighter, he served as a medic in World War II. Then, he became an Elder, and now he runs Magic School.”

“Quite the career you had, sir.” Veronica shook Leo’s hand. 

Leo grinned. “Please, call me Leo. We’re not that formal here.”

“No, we’re not.” Piper’s voice boomed as she slipped out of the kitchen for introductions. She had a massive grin as she approached Veronica. “Hello, Veronica. I’m Piper. Wyatt’s mom. And, feel free to call me Piper too.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Piper.”

Wyatt squinted his eyes. “Who is taking care of the food?”

“Joey,” said Piper. “It’s a roast. He’ll be fine.”

Wyatt and Chris gulped. They started to rush towards the kitchen since Joey wasn’t exactly known for his culinary skills. They learned better than to trust him alone in the kitchen for too long with such an important meal.

However, before they made it to the kitchen, a blue-skinned demon with reptilian skin shimmered into the manor. 

“Fuck!” Chris grabbed Wyatt’s arm. “Are the wards that broken? And do you not know who’s house this is?”

The demon didn’t bother to respond. Instead, he conjured an energy ball that he flung at them. Wyatt attempted to orb the energy ball away, but nothing happened. Wyatt glanced at his hand when he suddenly felt a little light-headed. 

Wyatt was losing consciousness for a second distracted Chris, leaving them vulnerable to the energy ball. Luckily, Piper froze the energy ball before it could strike them. 

Bianca stepped around Leo and Veronica. “Chris, duck!” Bianca flicked her wrist to conjure an energy ball that she tossed at the demon, vanquishing him with a single blast. 

Joey ran from the kitchen as he heard the commotion. He came in just in time to see Wyatt faint into Chris’s arms. “Whoa! What happened?”

“I don’t know! But somebody help me carry this heavy bitch.” Chris groaned as he struggled to hold Wyatt’s dead weight. Leo and Bianca rushed, helping to drag Wyatt over to a sofa.

*~*

Healing light continued to rain from Chris’s hands, helping Wyatt to bounce back. However, Wyatt’s eyes appeared a bit glassier, and he had a bit of a light sweat. Piper brought a cool towel from the kitchen and rested it across Wyatt’s forehead. 

Veronica shuffled from her spot as she stood close to Joey and Bianca. “What’s happening to him?”

Bianca shrugged. “Hopefully, we’ll find out soon.”

And they would. Light-blue orbs gathered as Brody orbed from the Heavens. Brody smiled. “For once, the Elders knew what’s going on. Wyatt’s powers are fading.”

“Fading!”

Wyatt tried to pull himself up when Piper pushed him back to rest. Piper looked over her shoulder to face Brody. “Fading how? He’s done nothing to warrant losing his powers.”

“You’re right.” Brody scrunched his face. “Except this isn’t Wyatt’s fault. This involves Christy and Billie.”

“How?” asked Leo. Then, he gasped. “Oh!”

“Oh?” Piper started to disagree when she recalled it too. “Oh! The Hollow.”

Wyatt’s squinted his eyes. “What? What about the Hollow?”

Veronica leaned towards Bianca and Joey. “What’s the Hollow?”

Chris stopped healing Wyatt since there wasn’t much else that he could do to stop Wyatt’s fading powers. “It is a force of power that absorbs all magic that it comes into contact with; it is neither good nor evil. But what does that have to do with Wyatt? Nobody’s unleashed the Hollow since...since the Ultimate Battle.”

Wyatt sat up as he turned to Piper. “When you and your sisters invoked it to fight Billie and Christy. But they also invoked it too with my help.”

“And they stole your magic afterward,” finished Joey. “But that happened years ago.”

Brody pointed at Chris then back to Wyatt. “As we saw with Chris from the dark timeline, magic has a weird way of catching up to us.”

Piper nodded. “During the battle, a future version of you and Chris appeared because you lost your magic. This must be that moment.”

“Great.” Wyatt sighed. “Before we do any time traveling, can we at least eat dinner?”

“Oh! Dinner!” Piper rushed back into the kitchen to deal with the roast. 

Meanwhile, Brody wished them luck as he orbed back to the Heavens.

Veronica went over to the sofa, kneeling next to Wyatt. “Is this a normal thing?”

Wyatt smiled as he rested his tired head on her shoulder. “A typical Sunday for the Halliwell family.”

*~*

The next morning, they decided to send Wyatt and Chris into the past on the day of the Ultimate Battle as Piper remembered it. Piper gave them warnings of what they could do and everything not to speak on to protect the integrity of the timeline. However, she was also well aware that Wyatt would fail on that part since he was the one that told Phoebe that she would end up marrying Coop.

They gathered in the sunroom with Hank and PJ joining them too. Wyatt appeared better than he did yesterday, as what he needed was sleep to adjust to the sudden loss in powers. Since they didn’t know for how long Wyatt and Chris would remain gone, they needed a plan to protect their present from demons and the Hellfire Club’s activity. 

Joey groaned. “Are you sure that I can’t go with you?”

Chris shook his head as he zipped his sweater. “You’re neither born nor conceived yet, so it’s too big of a gamble. Unless you want to risk altering the timeline and coming back to the present as a girl.”

“That’s not how time travel works,” said Joey.

However, Wyatt would cut Joey off. “Or risk ending up straight like Chris.” Chris growled and punched Wyatt’s arm.

Joey gasped. “The horror!”

“What about us?” Hank waved at them. “Did you forget that you called PJ and me here. How exactly are we supposed to help?”

Wyatt nodded. “I lost my magic, but my connection to the Power of Three remains. What we’re going to do is transfer Chris and my Charmed powers to you.”

PJ’s face lit up as she playfully smacked Hank’s arm. “Tamora and Paulina are going to get super pissed at us! We get to be Charmed Ones!”

“Temporarily!” said Chris.

Hank and PJ rolled their eyes since they focused on the joys of being the Charmed Ones and not the temporary nature of the status.

Joey grabbed a piece of paper. He gathered with Wyatt and Chris to recite the spell. “ _By the power we, brothers, decree. Transfer the power of two out of three. Grant these two our power. They want the power._ ”

Orbs of light flashed from Wyatt and Chris that traveled across the sunroom to enter Hank and PJ. They felt a rush of strength unlike any that they ever experienced before in their lives. Not even when they first used their powers did they feel such a rush.

“It worked.” PJ whooped. “I feel stronger already!”

Hank flexed his biceps, even though, his powers had nothing to do with his muscles. He chuckled. “This is great. So...I guess we’re sending you to the past?”

Joey nodded as he pointed to the second spell on the paper. “Assume the positions, Charmed Ones.” He went over to Hank and PJ to test if they properly received the Power of Three.

Before they recited the spell, Piper came over with Leo, Bianca, and Veronica following. Lots of good wishes were exchanged.

Bianca kissed Chris’s cheek. “We’ll talk about moving in when you get back.”

“Good,” Chris whispered. 

Veronica would kiss Wyatt too. “Never a dull day with you, Wyatt.”

Wyatt smirked. “It’s not too late for you to leave.” 

“I’m invested now.”

Joey rolled his eyes. “Quit being cute. And let me send you across time and space.”

Everyone backed away from Wyatt and Chris so that they didn’t get caught in the spell. Joey held the paper as Hank and PJ placed their hands on his shoulders.

“ _Powers of the witches rise. Send these brothers across time. So that one may reprise. The power that was taken by crime._ ”

White orbs swallowed Wyatt and Chris, sending them to the past on the day of the Ultimate Battle. Joey, Hank, and PJ knew that the spell worked, which affirmed that their Power of Three would work on the short term. They could keep the present safe, but they hoped that Wyatt and Chris would return soon so as not to tempt fate.

*~*

Almost a day later, yet Wyatt and Chris haven’t returned. Joey tried not to worry, especially since the city was pretty quiet so far, and he hadn’t received any premonitions. He would hope that they could continue this streak of luck because he’d hate for any upper-level demon or the Hellfire Club to discover that the Charmed Ones weren’t truly around to protect the world.

Even with Hank and PJ acting as replacement Charmed Ones, Joey didn’t like wandering without proper protection. Things could go south quickly and could spell certain disaster in Chris and Wyatt’s absence.

Joey finished his restroom trip. He wiped his hands clean with a paper towel before returning to his Ancient History class with a few minutes to spare before they started the review for the final exam. 

Joey made it inside to see Dion sitting next to PJ. Joey hesitated for a second. Joey didn’t know what to make of Dion. Joey felt like Dion appeared everywhere that he went on campus, but yet Joey found no trace of Dion off-campus. Dion never made an appearance at any club, bar, restaurant, or even social media. 

Something felt off. Joey’s gut told him to stay cautious around Dion, but he didn’t know what that meant. He wanted to know if Dion was a threat or not.

“You should come,” said Dion to PJ, while Joey joined them. “It’ll be lots of fun.”

PJ nodded. “I’ll think about it. I haven’t been doing so hot in my classes. I can’t afford to flunk my finals.”

“Understandable.” Dion looked up as Joey took his seat. “What about you, Joey? You down to party?”

“Party? What party?”

Dion smirked. His eyes glued onto Joey as they practically pierced Joey’s soul. “I’m hosting a party at my place this weekend. You should come.”

Joey brushed his hair from his eyes. He watched Dion carefully, but still couldn’t make out the inquisitive nature of Dion’s stare. “Maybe. I’m pretty busy this week.”

“Well, it’s almost the end of the semester. I’ll host plenty of parties these next couple of weeks. You can join at the next one.”

“Maybe,” whispered Joey.

Their conversation got cut short as their professor arrived, and class began.

*~*

Meanwhile, the fires of the Underworld churned. Abigor kicked down a metal door built in a cavern. The hinges snapped from the rust and Abigor’s might. With the door sliding across the obsidian floor, Abigor led his companions inside. Zurie, Zagon, and Lamia strutted inside, while Nomed slowly followed behind.

Their presence alone was enough to ignite every unlit torch. 

A circular marble table stood at the center of the room. Ornate fixtures and demonic statues covered the walls to give the frightening appearance of extravagance. Carved onto the table was a serpent-like creature that encircled a tree. 

Lamia touched the table while she looked at every inch of the room. “This place is rather depressing. We’ll need to do some extensive remodeling before we call this place home. I believe that’s where you come in, Zagon!”

Zagon huffed. “I’ll get right on that. That’s my number one priority.”

“Enough, you two,” said Abigor. 

“Yes.” Zurie placed her hand on the serpent’s carving. “We’re not using this place. But we will take this table. After all, it is where we sat as a family before the Source ruined everything.”

Nomed folded his hands behind his back. “Is the table all that you request, mistress?” Zurie nodded. Nomed snapped his fingers. A dozen demons shimmered into the chamber with Nomed giving them instructions to take the table. They began the difficult process of moving the table to the Hellfire Club’s new base of operations.

Lamia sighed. “Oh well. I hated this dungeon anyways. Nothing but bad memories here, anyways.”

“We deserve a prettier base.” Zagon looked over his shoulder. “Now, Zurie, isn’t there something else you wanted to tell us? Something about Azazel.”

“Right!” Zurie applauded. “I have found Azazel. Well, his soul. His body is nowhere to be found.”

Abigor nodded. “The Source separated Azazel’s soul from his body as punishment for a reason. Azazel could never challenge him in this condition.”

“Not that it matters since the Source is dead.” Zurie pulled a map from the sleeve of her leather jacket. She presented it to her comrades so that they could see the location for themselves. “The Source bound Azazel’s soul to a Nexus. One of twelve.”

“I thought there were thirteen?” asked Zagon.

Lamia shook her head. “The Halliwell’s destroyed that Nexus years ago after Zankou stole its power from them.”

Zurie glared at them. “As I was saying, the Source trapped Azazel beneath a Nexus. However, it was a grave mistake on the Source’s part. A Nexus draws death and destruction, which is something Azazel can feed upon, making him stronger than before. And this particular Nexus has seen its fair share of death over the centuries.” 

“Do we have everything we need to free him from this Nexus?”

“Not quite,” Zurie smirked. “We’ll need the Charmed Ones to do some of the work for us, but it won’t be too difficult to manipulate them. Especially since Wyatt and Christopher are gone.”

“But then there are no Charmed Ones,” said Zagon.

“There are. Two of their cousins are channeling the Power of Three with Joseph. It is temporary, of course, but they’ll be easy enough to use.”

Abigor laughed. “Excellent. Soon the Hellfire Club will have a proper reunion. Now, where is this Nexus located?”

“In a city called Constantinople. I mean Istanbul.”

*~*

Hank had a pen in his mouth while he read through a file. He sat in Henry’s P.I. office near the bay. Henry got a great deal on an office space because the landlord was an innocent that Paige saved back when she was still a Charmed One.

The office wasn’t too fancy or big, but it worked perfectly for Henry’s still growing business. The office had a standard P.I. vibe full of dark wood furniture, but the office didn’t have blinds but instead had thick curtains for privacy.

Henry sat behind his desk as he reviewed another file. He grabbed his coffee before seeing a spot on the document where he needed to make notes. 

Meanwhile, Hank’s eyes lit up as he looked at his file. “I found something.” He marked the line before passing it over to Henry. “Cassie had another classmate that mentioned talking to her that day before she disappeared. It is worth looking into.”

“Great job!” Henry grabbed a notepad to get down the person’s information. “Laura Silverstein. I’ll see if the parents know her.”

Hank smirked. “Looks like you got a good lead. Let us know if things get magical so that we can help you out. Don’t want to risk you getting into a fight with a demon when you don’t have powers.”

Henry chuckled as he leaned against his chair. “That’s right. I’m a mere mortal, while my boy is an all-powerful Charmed One. You couldn’t be just a witch; you needed the Power of Three just like your mom.”

“It’s temporary.” Henry grabbed his backpack. He pulled out a textbook so that he could get back to studying for his Constitutional Law exam. “I’m only filling in until Wyatt and Chris get back, which should be any minute now. There’s no need to get me a cake.”

“Nobody said anything about you deserving a cake.”

Hank frowned. “Bad dad.”

Before Henry could clock Henry, a rainbow flashed from the window into the office. The rainbow reached the empty chair as a dark-haired little man appeared with a wooden staff in hand and a green-top hat. Henry and Hank jumped from their chairs since they weren’t used to magical beings suddenly appearing from nowhere, at least ones that didn’t immediately attack them.

However, they relaxed once they realized that they were in the presence of a Leprechaun. 

“Who are you?” asked Henry. “And why didn’t you use the front door?”

“Sorry,” said the Leprechaun. “But I couldn’t find the missus, and we are desperate for help.”

“For what?” asked Hank.

The Leprechaun turned to Hank; his eyes got wide for a moment. He got from the chair, and despite his short stature, he approached Hank with great confidence. He poked at Hank’s chest with his staff, a Shillelagh. “You got Charmed magic, but you’re not one of the Charmed Ones.”

Hank smirked. “I’m filling in for one of the Charmed Ones. I’m their cousin. And I’m Paige’s son if that helps.”

“Even better! I’m Riley. Your mom saved my butt after the Wicked Witch of the Enchanted Forest cursed me.” Riley properly shook Hank’s hand. “Since you’re a temp-Charmed One, that means you can help us. The magical community is in serious danger, laddie. We need the Power of Three.”

Hank threw his textbook back into his backpack and grabbed his phone. “Right. Yeah, we can do that. I’ll text Joey and PJ to meet us at the manor.” He grinned at Henry. “Looks like you’ll have to buy me a cake for saving the magical community.”

Henry nodded. “Good luck, kid.”

As the text got sent, Hank stood closer to Riley as Riley summoned a rainbow to transport them to Halliwell Manor.

*~*

Everyone gathered at Halliwell Manor. Joey was already home, and Bianca was with him since she was dropping off some of Chris’s photography equipment. The rainbow brought Hank and Riley to the manor, but Riley didn’t start explaining anything as they still waited for PJ. It took a few minutes longer before PJ arrived, and she brought Paulina and Tamora with her since they were hanging out at Phoebe’s house when they got the text.

Riley sat on a sofa in the attic. He gave a heavy sigh as he started to fill them in on everything that happened. “It was a massacre. This morning, Hellhounds started attacking the Sanctuary of Byzantia.”

“Byzantia?” asked Paulina.

Bianca nodded. “It’s in Istanbul. There are sanctuaries all over the world where the magical community and humans live in peace with Byzantia going as far back as the Byzantine Empire.”

“Yes, Ms. Phoenix.” Riley waved his Shillelagh. “Now, the Hellhounds, they don’t attack at random. An upper-level demon sent these creatures. Most of the people have fled or are in hiding, but that’s not the worst part.”

PJ crossed her arms. “What’s worse than people being massacred?”

“Byzantia was built close to a Nexus.”

The attic fell silent. They understood the danger of the situation not just to the sanctuary but also the potential fall of a Nexus. If good protected this Nexus, then if the demons claimed its power, that would make evil stronger. 

Joey sighed. “I guess that means we need to get ready for battle. Hank, can you write down the Nexus vanquishing spell? We might need to use it if we can’t stop the demons from getting it.”

“Right.” Hank rushed over to the Book of Shadows.

“That means we’re in for a real fight!” said Tamora.

“We?” said Joey, PJ, and Hank.

Tamora nodded. “You can’t take the risk with your pseudo-Power of Three. Paulina, Bianca, and I can totally back you up!”

Joey shook his head. “Your moms will kill us if anything bad happens to you.”

“Come on!” Paulina ran up to Joey, her eyes twinkling as she stood up for herself. “Tamora and I are plenty old enough to help you out. We helped you vanquish Asmodeus, remember? We can handle some bad doggos.”

Bianca patted Joey’s shoulder. “If things get bad, I’ll make sure they leave.”

Joey sighed. “Fine. But we’re going in armed. Grab the potions from the cabinet. Mom and I brewed some in case there was trouble.” He backed away from everyone else. He held his hand out and closed his eyes. “I hope this works. Excalibur!” A flash of golden light appeared with Excalibur coming to Joey’s hand.

Hank’s jaw dropped. “Why is Excalibur obeying you?”

“Wyatt entrusted it to me in case of an emergency. Hopefully, it doesn’t make me fall to madness.” Joey turned to Riley. “Can you rainbow us to Byzantia?”

Riley nodded. “You can count on me, Joseph. Whenever you’re ready.”

Tamora and Paulina carried an armful of potions that they passed around to everyone. Hank had the Nexus vanquishing spell copied, while PJ and Bianca grabbed a few athames. They joined Joey and Riley as a rainbow manifested to transport them to Byzantia to save the magical community there.

*~*

The rainbow flashed in a smoke-filled street. Riley brought them to Byzantia, located on the western edge of Istanbul. The sanctuary appeared as a modern village hidden from the city and human eyes as the village overlooked the Meditteranean Sea. However, this beautiful village filled with colorful Meditteranean and Arabic style architecture was in no state to welcome visitors. Dozens of bodies littered the streets of its various citizens: magical beings and humans. 

It horrified them to see the half-devoured corpses of Ogres, Trolls, Elves, Nymphs, Dwarves, Leprechauns, witches, and humans. They heard crying inside some of the buildings as the community locked itself away for protection. And down the bloody street, they could hear vicious growling.

Riley gulped. “Um...I think this is the part where I should head for higher ground.”

Joey nodded as he raised Excalibur. “Leave it to us, Riley.”

“I will. But first!” Riley went into his pocket to grab a gold nugget. “You need a little luck. _Sláinte is táinte_!” The gold nugget broke itself into a gold cloud that floated into everyone else. Riley’s spell allowed them to infuse themself with a bit of luck to ensure their survival and victory. “Good luck, witches!” Riley vanished into a rainbow. 

They looked down the smoke-filled streets as a dozen figures emerged. They saw the Hellhounds: gigantic dogs with glowing blue fur and blood-red eyes. The Hellhounds had viciously sharp fangs that were coated in blood and flesh from their victims.

Paulina clenched her fists as Riley’s luck made her feel a little bolder than normal. “Let’s put these bad doggos to sleep!”

The Hellhounds rushed towards them with a fight quickly breaking out. 

Hank blasted a pair of Hellhounds with freezing air that left them trapped as ice sculptures. PJ swung her arm to rip a brick from the road to bash a Hellhound’s skull. Bianca flung an energy ball at a Hellhound, while Paulina and Tamora flicked their hands to unleash an explosive blast. Joey would swing Excalibur to dismember a Hellhound. 

The Hellhounds from the immediate area was vanquished, but the family also heard howling from another section of the village.

Bianca sighed. “There’s more of them.”

Hank brought his hands together. A chilling wind formed as he started to craft his ice into a weapon. “It’s not over yet. We still got more hounds to beat.” He pulled his hands apart to reveal that he forged a sword made of ice. He grabbed the frozen handle but wasn’t bothered in the slightest by the cold.

“Stick together!” said PJ. “Who knows when Riley’s luck will run out for us or go bad. Understood?”

“Right!” said Paulina.

“Got it!” said Tamora.

Joey raised Excalibur as he could feel the presence of more Hellhounds around the northern side of the village. “This way!” He led them down the road. A few Hellhounds would appear from nowhere, but they didn’t prove too difficult to vanquish.

Tamora flicked her wrist, blasting another Hellhound. Then, a trio of Hellhounds came rushing from an alleyway when Bianca threw an explosive potion that vanquished them all at once. More Hellhounds would meet a similar demise as the family and Bianca did all that they could to liberate Byzantia from this nightmare.

Eventually, they couldn’t spot Hellhounds anymore or feel the demonic presence. They approached the townsquare where a fountain stood with the statue of an angelic-being carrying an urn pouring water into the fountain. More shops surrounded the square as did piles of bodies from the Hellhounds various victims. They tried to breathe from their mouths instead so as not to breathe in the smell of death.

PJ shook her head as she covered her nose. “Is it over? Did we save everyone? Is the Nexus secure?”

“Not quite, witches.” Four being appeared in the townsquare from various methods: most of whom Joey would recognize. A wall of fire arose to signal Zurie’s arrival, the screeching of a bat joined with smoke resulted in Lamia appearing, a flash of gold light revealed Zagon, and Abigor would appear from shimmering. 

Zurie folded her arms across her chest. “Hello, Joseph and family. And little Phoenix.” Bianca summoned an energy ball to strike Zurie, but Paulina grabbed Bianca’s wrist to calm her down. The act of aggression brought a smile to Zurie. “Now. Now. There is no need for us to fight. You vanquished our lovely Hellhounds, but we can still have peace. All you need to do is get out of our way and let us have this Nexus.”

“Fat chance,” said PJ.

Lamia laughed. “So, spunky! I’ve longed for the chance to kill this family.”

“As have I,” said Zagon. “Although I should thank them. After all, I wouldn’t have escaped that awful other universe if it wasn’t for their actions.”

Joey glared at Zagon. “So you’re Zagon. You’re pretty, but you don’t look so great.”

“Wait until you get to know me.”

Abigor drew Soulbane from its sheath. “Enough of this banter. Let us end these meddlesome witches!”

Zurie nodded. “Yes, Abigor. That is exactly what we’ll do.”

“Let’s kick some ass!” shouted Tamora. 

“Hell yeah!” said Hank.

The fight began with a bang. 

Tamora and Paulina worked together as they faced Lamia. They attempted to freeze Lamia, but their powers proved too weak. Lamia easily fought the freeze before shapeshifting into a bat. She flew behind them before returning to her demon form and punched their chests. They went sailing across the townsquare, crashing onto a set of tables from a nearby cafe.

Bianca took on Zurie but would suffer from a similar string of bad luck. Despite her Phoenix training, Bianca struggled to sidestep Zurie’s attacks. Zurie would strike with a black dagger that nearly ripped into Bianca’s chest a dozen times over as she narrowly avoided the attack. When Zurie took a moment to recover, Bianca attempted to kick Zurie for that brief window. However, Zurie would squint her eyes to unleash a telekinetic blast that sent Bianca flying down the street.

Hank and PJ went after Zagon, who proved himself as quite the foe. PJ would keep her distance, while Hank swung at Zagon with the ice sword. Zagon would dodge Hank’s attacks before grabbing the sword with his bare hands. Zagon huffed as he saw Hank struggling to overpower him. However, in that second, PJ went in to kick Zagon’s back, but he barely budged from the kick. Zagon would laugh as he grabbed onto Hank’s sword before lifting Hank and tossing him into PJ, knocking them both down.

Joey didn’t pay much attention to his family and Bianca’s struggles as he focused on his duel with Abigor. Their swords crossed, causing sparks to scatter across the bloody streets. Joey’s muscles ached as he never fought with a sword before, and Abigor quickly proved himself as too strong. And Joey hadn’t even accounted for Abigor’s skill as a knight, which left him at an even greater disadvantage.

Joey narrowly blocked Soulbane from cutting his head off as he raised Excalibur. The impact of the swords caused Joey to slide back a few inches.

Abigor laughed. “There is no hope in you defeating me with a weapon that doesn’t belong to you. Surrender now, little witch.”

“Fuck you!” said Joey. 

Abigor prepared to swing Soulbane, while Zurie, Lamia, and Zagon rejoined him near the fountain. He swung his sword, unleashing a wave of energy that nearly forced Joey to his knees. However, Joey persisted as Excalibur glowed with a protective aura to keep him standing.

Abigor smirked. “You’re quite the stubborn one.”

“Too bad,” said Zurie, “that he doesn’t have the Power of Three to protect him. Only this faux-Power of Three.”

Joey gasped. “You knew that Wyatt and Chris were gone, didn’t you? That’s why you chose now to strike.”

Zurie nodded. “A shame that you didn’t catch on sooner. You could’ve been better prepared at protecting this Nexus and saving Byzantia.” She pointed at the fountain. Joey took the hint that the fountain was built over the Nexus of Byzantia like his relatives built the manor over the San Francisco Nexus.

The others summoned fireballs as they prepared to strike the Nexus, however, Joey wouldn’t allow it to get that far.

Joey raised Excalibur and started chanting. “ _The Power of Three will set us free! The Power of Three will set us free!_ ” PJ and Hank would join Joey as they recovered enough from the fight against Zagon. They would place their hands on his shoulders as they chanted too. “ _The Power of Three will set us free! The Power of Three will set us free! The Power of Three will set us free!_ ”

Excalibur glowed with a radiant aura. Joey swung the sword as Power of Three infused itself into the sword, generating a wave of destructive magic. Zurie and the others grinned as this was precisely what they hoped would happen. They vanished for a moment, allowing Excalibur’s energy to blast the fountain. Marble and water flew everywhere as the Power of Three demonstrated its power in opening a small fissure.

As the water continued to rain upon them, a gray light arose from the fissure. 

Zurie and the others reappeared as they started laughing. Zurie applauded them. “Excellent work! You saved us so much trouble, faux-Charmed Ones.”

Hank gulped. “What are you talking about? How does this benefit you?”

Abigor pointed to the rift. “We weren’t after the Nexus. It’s who was banished into the Nexus that we are after.”

PJ shook her head. “The Woogyman?”

Zurie held her hand out as the ground quaked a little. A glass orb arose from the rift as Zurie summoned it to her hand. “No. All we wanted was the soul of our brother, Azazel, who the Source banished here centuries ago.” She gently held onto the orb, pressing it against her chest. “Thanks again, Halliwells. Until we meet again.”

Abigor, Zagon, and Lamia joined Zurie in laughing as they left Byzantia to its fate.

Excalibur slipped from Joey’s hands, bouncing across the road. A few stray tears trickled down his face as he realized how spectacularly they failed and how little they understood of the dangers that the Hellfire Club posed.

*~*

In the aftermath of the spectacular against the Hellfire Club, the family returned to the manor to lick their wounds. They took the time to help in the immediate recovery of Byzantia and sealing the exposed Nexus. Joey left Excalibur leaning against the wall before he collapsed onto the couch, exhausted and depressed. 

Not long after they got back, Riley appeared from a rainbow with some news. Riley stepped towards them. “Good job, lads and lassies. You got rid of the Hellhounds, Byzatnia is safe again. We’re working on repairing the wards there to hopefully prevent another attack like that one from happening.”

“That’s good.” Hank rubbed his sore arm. “At least something good came out of this mess.”

“You can’t win every fight.” Riley patted Hank’s back “Your mums didn’t. Even they lost battles and innocents. Sometimes you have to take victory where you can.” Riley turned to Joey. “Thank you, Joseph. I’ll be sure we call you again if we need help.”

Joey waved at Riley. “Take care, bud.”

Riley nodded as he raised his Shillelagh to summon another rainbow to leave the manor.

Once Riley vanished, a pair of white orbs descended from the sky. More orbs gathered until Wyatt and Chris fully manifested back into the present. 

Wyatt had a grin. “I’m back to normal!” He demonstrated that his powers were back as he orbed himself next to PJ. He slung his arm around PJ’s shoulder when he noticed how beaten everyone looked. “Shit. What happened here?”

Chris could tell something was off as he went over to kiss Bianca. “I take it you got in a fight?”

“A bad one,” said Bianca. “Against the Hellfire Club.” Wyatt and Chris cursed their luck as they knew something like this could happen while they were gone.

Joey rolled from the couch. “The Hellfire Club got their buddy Azazel back, so it's almost fully reunited.”

“Almost?” asked Wyatt and Chris.

PJ nodded. “They only have Azazel’s soul, but not his body. We一actually一you have time to stop them before they’re back at full strength.”

Wyatt and Chris sighed as they realized how much they missed during their trip to the past, and how dangerous their futures looked.

*~*

Unlike the Halliwells family, the Hellfire Club would bask in their glorious victory. They returned to their new headquarters, which was a stunning, modern mansion overlooking San Francisco Bay. The former owner of the mansion was a hotshot from Silicon Valley, but he, along with his family, was brutally slaughtered to make way for the club. The family’s blood even stained the walls as demons continued to clean the bloodstains. 

As the demons worked, the club would celebrate. They stood in a spacious dining room, which is where Nomed and the demons brought the marble table from the Underworld. The room was mostly empty as they removed the previous owners’ tasteless furnishings. 

Lamia leaned against the window as she held a glass of fresh, teenage blood. The sunlight illuminated the walls of windows but did nothing to burn her as she possessed the gift of true immortality, unlike other vampires. “Now, what to do? Should we start a massacre somewhere?”

“Or host an orgy.” Zagon sipped his wine.

Abigor rolled his eyes while he polished his sword. “Focus on the mission. We’ve only acquired half of Azazel. We still need his body before our family is complete.”

Meanwhile, Zurie placed the glass orb onto the marble table. A set of five seats were stationed around the table that would serve as the seats of power for the Inner Court. “Abigor is right, but I think we can carve the time for a small celebration. We should at least feast on something delectable like deep-fried elves.”

Abigor’s stomach growled at the mention of such a meal. Lamia and Zagon would chuckle at Abigor’s hunger.

However, they didn’t have much time to celebrate. The orb cracked with a dark mist coalescing to take a somewhat human shape. A pair of scarlet eyes emerged from the shadows as the temperature dropped considerably, leaving an ominous dread over their heads. “ _Where am I? What is this place?_ ” hissed a twisted, deep voice.

Zurie smiled as she approached the shadow. “All is well, Azazel. You are amongst our family.”

“ _Zurie?_ ” The shadow relaxed. The scarlet eyes shifted to a pale-yellow. “ _Abigor. Zagon. Lamia. You are all here._ ”

“Yes, brother.” Abigor sheathed his sword. “It is good to see you, even in this state.”

Azazel raised his arm, seeing the form that he took. “ _I am incomplete. Where is my body?_ ”

“Somewhere,” said Lamia. “We haven’t found it yet, but we did free you from the Nexus that the Source imprisoned you inside.” 

“ _The Source...and where is that evil bastard?_ ”

“Dead.” Zagon placed his glass on the table, near the shattered remnants of the orb. “The Charmed Ones have finally risen, and they were responsible for vanquishing him. Thrice.”

Azazel laughed. “ _Good riddance. Then, I take it that it is time for the Hellfire Club to seize control of the Underworld?_ ”

“Indeed, brother,” said Zurie. “With us all together again, no one can stand in our way.”

“ _Yes...none will._ ” Azazel’s shadowy figure took to a chair. He appeared to sit, not that it was necessary given his current appearance. “ _What is our next move?_ ” The others took their seats as they had much to discuss.

*~*

Late into the night, Dion wandered the streets of San Francisco. His every step captured the attention of every local and tourist that crossed his paths, leaving them dazzled for a moment as his beauty was almost hypnotic. It didn’t help that he also walked in quite the revealing get up. He wore a shirt that was more strings then anything else as most of his chiseled chest was exposed alongside a pair of tattered shorts. 

And despite the cold breeze that blew over the city, Dion acted unbothered. He went so far as whistling a jolly tune. 

The streetlights and buildings illuminated the darkening city. Dion brushed his curly locks, allowing them to bounce freely. He glanced to the side, blowing a kiss to an elderly woman. The woman blushed as she tugged on her husband’s arm, who remained oblivious. 

Dion continued his walk, unaware of a man in a dark suit following behind him.

As the night continued, Dion stopped near an alley. He noticed a dark-skinned boy, probably around seventeen years old, sitting on the cement with a tattered backpack. The boy looked dirty and like he hadn’t had a decent meal in days. A half-empty bottle of water dangled from the boy’s hand that served as the only bit of nourishment he had for some time.

Dion approached the boy. He went into his pocket to grab a potion vial filled with an orange liquid. “Drink this.” The dazzling manner that Dion spoke in proved hypnotic to the boy. The boy didn’t even hesitate to take the potion and drink its contents. Luckily, what Dion gave the boy wasn’t poisonous as it instead left him with a warm, full sensation. 

The boy sighed. “Thank you.”

Dion held his hand out, pulling the boy to his feet. “Come with me.”

“To where?” The boy grabbed his backpack, which contained what little possessions he owned.

“ _Home_.” Dion held the boy’s hand as he led him further down the street, while the man in the dark suit continued to follow.

After walking a few blocks, Dion brought the boy to an old, half-demolished Victorian house. It stood out in its gentrified neighborhood, but nobody appeared to pay it any mind either.

The boy gasped as he stared at the house. However, he didn’t see something that looked like it came from a horror movie. He saw the most extravagant of houses. “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s _home_ ,” whispered Dion. “ _Home_ for people like us.” Dion allowed the boy to enter the house. 

The boy ran up the half-broken steps but did so without tripping. And when he opened the front door, he saw colorful flashes of light that reflected against his skin and countless people inside the house that weren’t visible from the outside. And inside, he saw these people lost in their jubilation. Once more, he didn’t hesitate to join the party.

Dion stood outside for a moment longer. He smirked as he clenched his fist. Sparks of bright orange energy rippled beneath him as he exerted his powers. 

The man in the suit that followed attempted to take pictures of the house. Dion’s actions caused the man’s camera to blow up, preventing the man from documenting anything.

Dion went inside the house. At the moment that he closed the door, the old Victorian house vanished from the street to reveal the vacant lot that it previously occupied.

The man tossed his broken camera to the ground. It did him no good to keep it, and worse yet, he lost the target. He touched his suit’s collar, pulling a microphone close to his mouth. “Lost _Subject A_ again. _Target E_ is gone too.”

“Report to base, agent.”

“Roger.” The man walked away from the vacant lot as he dreaded the report that he’d need to file tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Halliwells lost in their first proper fight against the Hellfire Club. Who knows if things will turn out better with Wyatt and Chris back. Methinks it's going to be a rough ride.
> 
> And just what is Dion up to? And who is following him? 
> 
> All I know is that these next five chapters will set the tone for the remainder of the story. Be prepared for pure chaos.


	20. House Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! So I survived my first week of school/work. I'm not sick so far, but we'll see. I don't trust my university since our cases are going up and our admin is purposely misreporting our numbers. Sigh.
> 
> Anywho, yay for the new chapter. Also, there's a brief sex scene in the middle of the chapter. Hope you enjoy it all.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

With an aching left-hand, Joey left his Ancient History class. He kept his head held high, as he knew he aced the final exam. His essays came out impeccable and full of the details that his professor would appreciate. He turned his phone back on to check his notifications. He wandered down the hall to the building’s foyer to wait for PJ to finish.

As he sat in the lobby, Joey’s mind naturally drifted towards the pitiful battle against the Hellfire Club last week. Riley told them that Byzantia mostly recovered from the attack, and the Nexus remained under good’s control, but Joey knew that wasn’t good enough. The Hellfire Club would act again soon, as soon as they uncovered the location of Azazel’s body. If the body still existed.

At least the next fight, the Hellfire Club would face the true Charmed Ones. Joey hated the thought of having to fight evil without Chris and Wyatt around. And the stress of it all came crashing down, pushing Joey towards the edge of his sanity as he knew he’d snap at any moment.

Scrolling through his Twitter feed, Joey would ignore the stupid fanon and stan arguments to focus on the thirst traps. He found a thread of guys posting their shirtless pics while holding their pets. He got halfway done when he felt a hand tap his shoulder. He expected to see PJ but found Dion standing over him.

Dion leaned against the chair and raised his eyebrows once he saw one of the pics. “Cute. That guy also has quite the alt account that you might want to check out when you’re alone.”

Joey gulped and turned his phone screen down. “Thanks for the advice. Is there something I can help you with? Orー”

“I’m hosting another party tonight at my place.” Dion went into his pocket to grab a card. He handed it over so that Joey could see the address. “You should come. Actually, I’d really like it if you could come. That way, we can talk somewhere that isn’t school.” Dion gave Joey a rather charming grin that made Joey take the card.

After a semester of blowing Dion off, Joey felt oddly compelled to play along with the request. Joey likely wouldn’t see Dion again, so it’s not like it would hurt him to go to a party. Plus, it wasn’t like he had anything better planned for that night.

Joey nodded. “Alright. I’ll be there.”

“Great!” Dion jumped from the chair rail. He did a quick twirl then pointed at Joey. “I’ll see you tonight. I suggest dressing comfortably. There’s usually a lot of dancing at my parties.”

“Okay.” Joey chuckled. “See you tonight.”

Dion waved Joey off and walked out of the building, while a zombie-looking PJ stumbled down the hall. She barely survived the final and wanted nothing more than to sleep as she collapsed on top of Joey and cried from exhaustion.

Joey groaned as he tried pushing PJ. “Get off me, dramatic bitch!”

“I can’t! I’m dead!” PJ cried. 

*~*

That night, a double date occurred. Wyatt and Veronica invited Chris and Bianca out to a bar at SoMa. The bar wasn’t too far from a dozen tech offices, so it was pretty popular with the IT crowd, but also had a vibrant arts scene that kept the place lively. The couples found it odd hearing a mixture of tech lingo and creative endeavors occurring at once, which left them feeling a bit dizzy.

Luckily, the music was loud enough to drown out most of the noise. 

The night progressed without too much trouble for them. They were about to start their fourth round of drinks with Wyatt and Chris leaving for the bar, while Bianca and Veronica held their seats.

Bianca leaned across the table, pushing her empty glass of vodka soda aside. “You’re about to finish school, right? What’s the plan after that? You think you’ll stay in the city or relocate somewhere more affordable?”

Veronica smirked. “I’ll probably stick around a bit longer. I got a few job offers here, so it wouldn’t hurt to start here. And it gives me a bit more time to figure out something more long term.”

“Cool. And I guess it doesn’t hurt that this city isn’t that bad of a place to live at if you’re a witch.”

“A scary one, though. Ever since I met Wyatt, I’ve started to notice more demonic activity. And I feel bothered about not doing more to fight evil.”

Bianca patted Veronica’s hand. “You’re a witch, but it doesn’t mean you have to go out and save the world. What you decide to do or not do with your magic is your choice. But...if you’d like to get more involved, I’d be open to teaching you how to defend yourself better. Something to consider since you’re the girlfriend of a Charmed One.”

“Really? Oh, goddess! That would help so much. Thank you, Bianca.”

“Thank you, Bianca?” Wyatt returned with their drinks, while Chris snuck up behind Bianca. Wyatt gave Veronica her rum and coke before sipping on his old-fashioned. “What did Bianca do?”

Bianca took her drink from Chris. “I offered to teach your girlfriend how to become Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Wyatt nodded. “Hot.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “You’re a creep, Wyatt.” He sipped his Moscow mule.

Veronica patted Wyatt’s arm. “It’s cause he likes it when I beat him up. Right, babe?”

Wyatt laughed then kissed Veronica. “That’s right.” He took another sip. “Hey! They’re doing karaoke in about thirty minutes. Who wants to partner up with me?”

“No,” said Chris and Veronica.

Bianca raised her drink. “I’ll sing with you, but only if it’s a Lady Gaga song and not _Shallow_.”

“So _Telephone_ or _Rain on Me_?”

Chris reached to brush Wyatt’s short hair only for Wyatt to swat his hand. “But, you no longer have a ponytail, Ari.”

Wyatt swatted Chris’s hand when Chris reached for Wyatt’s hair a second time. “ _Yuh_.”

“Then, let’s do it!” Bianca cheered before taking a long sip of her drink. If she were going to karaoke, then she’d need a buzz, which was harder to get because of the magic in her blood.

Chris sighed then sipped his drink. “Oh, lordy.” 

*~*

Meanwhile, Joey would make his appearance at Dion’s place. Joey didn’t invite PJ to accompany him since Dion hinted to wanting to talk alone, implying a possible date. And given Dion’s urging to dress comfortably, Joey kept it simple with some colorful joggers and a flannel shirt that he again stole from Chris.

Dion’s place was at the edge of the Castro. Joey almost laughed at how gay that sounded to him. Eventually, he found himself standing before a rather colorful Victorian house. Music vibrated the walls and windows, people hung out near the steps, and lights would flash from the windows to signal a major party. He would glance at the card to make sure he had the right address.

The front door would swing open. Dion stumbled out, his cheerful grin illuminating the darkness. He appeared rather dashing, especially since he paraded around in a mesh-shirt and shorts. The cold air didn’t bother him in the slightest as he descended the steps with an orange drink in hand.

“I’m glad you made it!” Dion hugged Joey. Then, he took a sip of his drink before handing it to Joey. “Here! Try this punch.”

Joey hesitated for a second. “Is there alcohol in this?”

“No. But I can get you some if you want.”

Joey would consider taking up that offer later. He only accepted the drink since he saw Dion drink it first. Despite the lack of alcohol, there was something about the liquid that tasted off to Joey. And it led to a warm sensation traveling across his body. 

Joey moaned. He closed his eyes for a second then opened them again. Dion smiled as he took Joey’s hand and led him inside the house. The people on the porch waved, while Dion led Joey into the party. Inside, Joey found that appearances were quite deceiving as the house appeared far larger with its wide-open space and so many people crammed into the house. The dark walls reflected all the lights from strobe lights and disco balls. And the more Joey looked at the place, the larger he found it that didn’t make sense for a Victorian that looked smaller than Halliwell Manor from the outside.

It got odder from there. Joey would see the homeless boy that Dion rescued the other day, although, Joey knew nothing of Dion’s actions. The other people would prove odder. He saw people in all sorts of colorful fashions as they drank, danced, played music, talked, performed, and did so many other things. But it continued to prove odd when Joey noticed magical beings. He saw a male Ogre that actually smelt good who danced with a pair of humans, a Nymph, and a Valkyrie. He saw Leprechauns, Gnomes, and Elves throwing money at a drag queen. Fairies flew everywhere to rain their magical dust. A man gave a lap dance to an elf. Meanwhile, a group of people and magical beings covered themselves in paint as they started to create their latest masterpiece.

Joey turned to Dion, his jaw dropped. It reminded him of Byzantia, which left him thinking that this place was another sanctuary. “What is this place?”

“Erotia.” Dion gave Joey the drink again. “It is a sanctuary for the outcasts and forgotten. Here, we live in peace and are protected. Here, we are free to be our truest selves. Both the magical and the human. Even a Charmed One is allowed freedom here.”

Joey’s eyes widened. He didn’t know who Dion was or how Dion knew the truth about him, but somehow that part of his brain shut itself down. He took the drink and stared at it for a second. “What is this?”

Dion smiled. “The nectar of the gods: Ambrosia. It once granted immortality, but this recipe doesn’t have that power. Instead, it liberates whoever drinks it from their inhibition so that they can embrace their truest self without the worry of our past or the outside world.”

The vibration of the music, the flashing lights, and the joyous faces of everyone in Erotia felt so appealing. Joey could feel his body warming up more from the Ambrosia already in his system, encouraging him to take more. And he would. He took a long gulp, finishing the glass so that the Ambrosia could liberate him.

A flash of orange light washed over Joey. All his stress, his anxiety, and his turmoil disappeared. And instead, he felt only happiness. A giddy laugh escaped him as he looked to everyone else at Erotia then turned his gaze to Dion. 

Dion placed the empty glass onto a table. He took Joey’s hands and urged Joey to guide him. Joey nodded. Joey would look at every corner of Erotia before finding his place amongst the people. 

Joey dragged onto the dancefloor as the Ambrosia beckoned him to go there. The music shifted into a sensual, Arabic beat that made Joey sway to the rhythm, while Dion started to match the movement. Hips wiggled, arms swayed, muscles flexed, and butts bounced. Dion licked his lips as he noticed the sensuality of Joey’s every move. Soon Dion would place his hands on Joey’s hips, holding them firmly. Joey didn’t resist the contact as he grabbed onto Dion’s shoulders and pulled their bodies closer as the music picked up speed. 

Joey and Dion’s dance caught the attention of Erotia’s other residents. Many were lost to the Ambrosia, while others appeared far soberer. Not that the stares would bother Joey and Dion as they lost themselves to the music. And soon, Joey would allow the loss of inhibitions to truly liberate him as he stepped on the tips of his toes to kiss Dion. The softness of Dion’s lips, his floral scent, the firmness of his muscles, and the heat of his body left Joey far more intoxicated then any liquor could. 

Joey held onto Dion, their kiss deepening as feelings of desire captured Joey’s heart. 

*~*

Boots clicked across the floor. The agent that attempted to follow Dion retreated into a dark, secluded building outside of San Francisco. The decor of the building appeared quite plain, sterile almost even as the U.S. flag and an assortment of symbols dotted the walls. Nothing about this place stood out, giving the impression of the agency as operating very much in the shadows. 

The agent continued to walk the building’s halls. He passed numerous agents and staff, presenting himself in the most professional manner possible. He carried a dignified air where he held his head high and displayed his fortitude. Finally, he stepped into a boardroom, folder in hand that he presented to a group. They wore crests across their heart that had a bizarre mix of the U.S. flag with a skull over a pentagram. One of the men stared at the agent. This pale-skinned man with blond hair and hazel eyes took the folder. He glanced through it but didn’t give the agent much of a second glance.

“That is all, Agent Sandler,” said the man. “You’re dismissed.”

The agent nodded. He started to leave the boardroom as the board resumed their discussion. They would mention resuming the search for Erotia, which prompted the agent to grin.

The agent spun back around. He wiggled his fingers. “Actually, I don’t think I’m dismissed. Well, slight correction.” Dark sparks washed over the agent’s body as his appearance shifted. The image of an older agent vanished to reveal a tanned-skinned young man with curly, brown hair and dark-green eyes. His gaze hypnotic, both as something sensual but also frightening from his malevolent heart. He strutted across the boardroom while continuing to wear the agent’s fitted suit.

The senior agents drew their guns, while the young man held a finger.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said the young man. “You know, this agency isn’t that impressive. The Agency of Supernatural Containment. And yet your sensors couldn’t detect a warlock amongst you for three weeks.” The young man gave a charming grin as he pointed at the agents. “Tragic. I think you need to fire your IT crew, Commander Jonathan Gadson.” 

Jonathan, the pale-skinned man, gestured for everyone to lower their guns. He could tell that this young man knew far more about them then they did of him, especially if the young man told the truth about fooling their sensors for weeks. “What is it that you want, warlock?”

The young man clapped his hands. “Glad you asked! I’m interested in Erotia too. Actually, not Erotia itself. You can have it and the freaks that live there. Dissect. Experiment. Kill them. Do whatever you want with them. I’m only after its caretaker. He and I have a bit of a score to settle. So I propose an alliance between us.”

“Screw that!” An older man raised his gun once more. “Like Hell, that we’ll trust a filthy warlock!”

The young man sighed. He knew the odds that at least one of the agents would step out of line. He would clench his fist, creating a telekinetic choking effect that strangled the agent before he could fire a shot. The agent collapsed to the ground, dead. The young man shrugged. “Again, I only want an alliance. But I have no problem with killing every agent here. In fact, that would do the magical community quite a favor.”

As the agents prepared to attack once more, Jonathan halted them from acting. He took a deep breath as he glared at the young man. “Let’s talk, son. Maybe we can get to an agreement about Erotia.”

The young man smirked. He stepped over the agent’s corpse to claim the empty seat for himself. He kicked his feet onto the table while looking at everyone in the room before locking eyes with Jonathan. “I knew that you were a reasonable man, Commander. The name’s Seth Hale. And I look forward to working with your fine agency.”

Jonathan folded his arms across his chest. He would regret aligning himself with Seth, but the desire to capture Erotia saw to him ignoring the warnings that his brain signaled.

“Now,” Seth started their discussion, “Erotia. It’s still in San Francisco, which means its close. But it’s caretaker is aware of your agency’s interests. No doubt, he would turn to help. Help from the Charmed Ones.”

“The Charmed Ones?” asked a female agent.

Seth raised an eyebrow before bursting out with laughter. “Your agency’s purpose is to monitor the supernatural and contains any threats? Yet you know nothing of the Halliwell family?”

“We do,” said a male agent. “Homeland Security warned us of the Halliwells. But they also have the title of Charmed Ones?”

Seth groaned and massaged his forehead. “I’m surrounded by idiots. This alliance was a mistake. Let’s start from the beginning. Oh! Maybe we should make our breakfast orders now. We’ll be here until morning.”

*~*

The Ambrosia liberated Joey from all restraints. Joey spent much of the night dancing with Dion and making out on the dance floor before Dion gave him the grand tour of Erotia. The more that Joey saw, the more he thought of this place as a true utopia. Erotia would create anything that its residents desired, providing all the comforts of a home and a never-ending party. 

Dion presented other rooms where more private parties occurred. Joey saw an Elf woman and a human woman reciting poetry before a crowd. In the kitchen, magical beings and humans prepared a plethora of desserts for everyone. And down in the basement, Dion warned Joey before they saw a private sex dungeon where nothing was held back. Joey’s jaw dropped as he saw an Ogre being flogged by a Satyr and a human woman. 

“We make sure the younger runaways stay away from that room.” Dion closed the door. He grinned as he took Joey’s hand and led him upstairs. From the top of the staircase, they could see almost all of Erotia’s ground floor. The party continued to rage as everyone seemed so blissful. “This is our slice of paradise. Everyone can have their heart’s desire here, safe from the troubles of the outside world. This was the final gift the Olympian Gods granted to the world before they met their end.”

Joey nodded. He could sense powerful magic at work here; it made sense that Erotia came from the Gods. “What does that make you?”

“The caretaker.” Dion gestured to Joey to keep following. They wandered down the hall where countless doors manifested before Dion picked an ornate gold door with a glass handle. He led Joey inside to his bedroom. 

Dion’s bedroom appeared as grand as anything else in Erotia. The room had a glass wall that had a perfect view of San Francisco with Dion telling Joey that nobody could see inside because of Erotia’s magic. Vines covered parts of the walls coming from the numerous plants, including a miniature cypress tree that decorated the room. A lyre was gently placed on a rather cozy chair, while a majestic bed with silky red sheets was left pressed against the opposite end. 

Joey took in everything, admiring the other pieces of decor. He saw a laurel wreath hanging next to a raven’s feather when he saw a wooden end table laid a single hyacinth in full bloom.

“You got good taste,” said Joey.

Dion placed his hands on Joey’s waist. “I’m glad you approve.” He watched as Joey turned. Their eyes locked once more than Dion kissed Joey once more. The warmth and Ambrosia left Joey dazed for a moment as Dion slowly led them to bed. “Would you like to?”

“Yes,” whispered Joey.

Dion smiled. He kissed Joey’s cheek. “You can tell me to stop whenever you want.” Joey nodded while pulled closer to the bed. 

Clothes fell to the floor as it appeared that they got naked in no time. Joey trembled a little when he saw Dion’s godly, muscular physique; Joey never encountered a man that looked quite as flawless as Dion. Dion didn’t notice Joey’s gaze as he found himself too busy staring at Joey’s body, licking his lips as he found Joey equally as stunning. 

Their lips met, and bodies mashed with their dicks quickly standing from excitement. Joey dug his nails into Dion’s back while Dion kissed Joey’s neck and chest. The moans echoed against the walls. Joey turned to the window, looking out at the city, as Dion went lower. Dion’s wet tongue touched everything. The sensation made Joey’s eyes roll back while he grabbed onto the sheets. 

Not that Joey had a lot of sex to compare this moment, but he could tell that Dion really knew how to please a man. Joey stifled back erotic screams as he felt the suction. Dion’s mouth went everywhere as he alternated between sucking and rimming Joey. The intensity of the moment forced Joey to cry while holding back the urge to orgasm immediately.

Dion chuckled. He eased up and went back to kissing Joey’s neck. The firmness and weight of Dion’s muscles made Joey shudder. Joey wrapped his legs around Dion’s waist; the movement allowed Dion’s erect penis to glide over Joey’s erection. The lingering saliva allowed for a lubricant that they started moaning together as their lips connected. 

The foreplay continued for some time until Dion applied the lube while they adjusted their positions. Joey thanked the Ambrosia because it relaxed him enough that he felt only pleasure as Dion penetrated him. Joey had his back pressed against Dion’s chest while they kneeled on the mattress. Dion had a hand stroking Joey’s erection and the other hand on Joey’s neck as they kissed. The gentle thrusting slowly got faster, with them shuddering. 

The moans echoed while they orgasmed. Their bodies heaved as they collapsed onto the mattress, lost in the post-sex haze for a while. Joey rolled over to lay on Dion’s chest with Dion pulling Joey closer. 

Joey rubbed his hand across Dion’s smooth chest. His fingers soaking up some of the sweat from the sex. “A hell of a first date,” he said, moaning a bit against Dion’s chest. “But why does my gut tell me that this wasn’t only about hooking up? You know I’m a Charmed One. Do you have an ulterior motive?”

Dion sighed. “I do need help protecting Erotia.”

“There it is.” Joey leaned up from the mattress while maintaining eye contact. “You need the Charmed Ones?” 

“Yes. But we can talk about that later.” Dion kissed Joey’s arm. “We’re not in danger right now. Tonight, we can focus on us. Saving Erotia is tomorrow’s problem.” 

Joey smiled. “You’re not saying that just to butter me up, are you?”

“No. I do find you quite intriguing and beautiful, and that has nothing to do with you being a Charmed One.”

“Good. I don’t like it when men use me.” Joey leaned closer, kissing Dion. 

Dion placed his hand on Joey’s cheek. “I am no man.” He nudged Joey onto his back while he started to kiss Joey once more as he felt ready for round two. Joey moaned and embraced whatever would happen next as he suppressed the worries of Erotia to tomorrow.

*~*

After his night with Dion at Erotia, Joey stumbled through the manor feeling almost dehydrated. They spent half the night talking before finally falling asleep. Then, Joey returned home before Dion woke up, which he regretted since he had no clue of the pain of an Ambrosia hangover. He had a massive headache that his aspirin only now started to address. He went into the kitchen to pour himself a massive glass of water. He practically inhaled the cold glass before pouring another and started to retreat into his bedroom.

Luckily, the manor was quiet. Everyone was working, which meant Joey could suffer in peace. However, that wouldn’t last long.

A flash of pink light illuminated the front door. PJ beamed into the manor and had a few jars of Tupperware. PJ smirked, while she examined how pitiful Joey appeared. “I take it that the party was pretty wild.”

Joey groaned. He sipped his water. “Leave mom’s Tupperware in the kitchen. I’m too tired to chat.”

PJ laughed. She followed Joey to the staircase. “Hold it, sis.” She wiggled a finger at him as she noticed a mild limp. “Did you hurt yourself last night? Or is this part of your Walk of Shame?”

“Not now, PJ.” Joey massaged his achy forehead. 

“Shut up!” PJ squealed. “You did it! You hooked up with Dion?”

The screeching eliminated Joey’s Ambrosia hangover. The memories of the things he did with Dion last night started to replay themselves, while also making him aware of his sore butt. “Oh, gods! Is it that obvious?”

PJ grinned while she nodded. “Super obvious! You’re hungover but glowing at the same time! Now, I need details! What was the place like? What happened? I don’t need all the dirty details, but how was he?”

“Actually, there’s something else we need to talk about.” Joey sipped his water. “Dion is a magical being. And his place is a sanctuary like Byzantia.” 

PJ’s excitement deflated as she instead turned to concern. “What does that mean to you? Is he in danger?”

Joey nodded. “He wants our help. He’s hosting another party tonight, so I was thinking of bringing Wyatt and Chris with me.”

“And me too!” PJ placed the Tupperware onto the table. She rushed back to Joey, grabbing his phone from his pocket to copy the address to Dion’s place. “I’ll invite Hank too. If Dion is in trouble, then you’ll need more help. Especially if the Hellfire Club is involved.”

“Thanks.” Joey took his phone back. He knew that PJ’s desire to protect the innocent would overpower her desire to know about what he did with Dion last night. And it also saved him some serious embarrassment. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“See you then!” PJ took the Tupperware into the kitchen before leaving the manor, granting Joey his peace.

*~*

It didn’t take much to convince everyone to join Joey at Erotia, especially once PJ started throwing out invitations. Luckily, Joey managed to stop PJ from going overboard as she only got the chance to invite Hank. Wyatt brought Veronica, while Chris did the same with Bianca. Joey warned them of the risque elements of Erotia, which they found quite curious. 

They arrived at Castro and easily found Erotia as they noticed a few drag queens and their dates entering the house. Joey led them inside Erotia, where they could see Erotia’s colorful world for themselves. Jaws dropped as Erotia was unlike anything they’d seen before, and that said something since they lived in San Francisco.

Hank stuttered as he looked at everyone and the wild nature of the party. “How has nobody ever mentioned this place before?”

“It’s so cool!” PJ squealed.

“Interesting.” Veronica watched as a Nymph led a Satyr towards the basement, tugging him with a leash. 

Wyatt nodded. “I could get used to this place.”

Chris almost blushed when he saw a Valkyrie walking around topless. He turned away when he noticed Bianca raising an eyebrow at him. “Um...what exactly is Erotia in danger of? The Republican Party?”

“Or Ben Shapiro.” Bianca grabbed onto Chris’s arm.

“Friends!” Dion emerged from the crowd. He changed a bit tonight as he wore only a white loincloth. Eyes continued to bulge, while Joey felt a blush appearing.

Dion approached Joey, kissing his cheek. Wyatt and Chris would raise an eyebrow since they knew nothing about Dion, who was almost naked and kissing their baby brother. Meanwhile, PJ whistled as she encouraged Joey finding himself a beefcake. 

Dion grinned as he held Joey’s hand while properly greeting everyone else. “It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Dion. Caretaker of Erotia.” The introductions were kept brief. And as Wyatt tried to ask what Dion needed help for, they got interrupted as a beautiful young man emerged from the crowd. The young man wore only a pair of black briefs and carried a tray of Ambrosia in shot glasses. “We’ll discuss the threat later,” said Dion. “First, let us celebrate! Please, enjoy the splendor of Erotia for yourselves so that you may understand why it needs protecting.”

Dion passed the drinks to everyone. He took a shot for himself. They started to hesitate until Joey mentioned that it was safe to drink. “To new friends! And embracing our truest selves!” Dion raised his glass. “Cheers!” They took the shots together with everyone returning to the glasses to the young man as the Ambrosia took effect. “Thank you, Ganymede.” 

The young man nodded as he left. 

Warmth spread across everyone’s bodies. Joey shuddered from the Ambrosia, but he noticed that he didn’t lose himself like he did last night. However, everyone else was a different case. They started to giggle like schoolgirls before they started to separate themselves, wandering to different parts of Erotia as the Ambrosia pushed them to embrace their inner selves.

Dion’s hand touched Joey’s lower back. “This Ambrosia recipe is most potent for first-timers. Afterward, it only relaxes you. That’s why you’re not a wild child again.”

Joey nodded. “Okay. And them?”

“Let’s find out.” Dion led them up the staircase where they had the perfect view to find everyone else. It didn’t take long before Joey noticed where everyone landed.

Wyatt found himself amongst a group of musicians. An Ogre blew a flute, a Satyr banged drums, and an elf strummed a harp. All while, Wyatt poorly played a sitar since he couldn’t find a guitar.

Veronica took to the dance floor. She tossed her shirt aside while she joined some Valkyries and Nymphs as they started to belly dance. She laughed from the silliness of the moment, even as she proved that she could move her body flawlessly.

Meanwhile, Chris found an old-school Polaroid camera. He began to position everyone as his models as he took dozens of photos as the camera appeared to never run out of film. He would approach the basement, too, as his instincts also wanted to document the sexual scene downstairs.

Bianca took to the dance floor too, but not as Veronica did. Instead, Bianca relinquished all sense of self-control as she partied hard with a couple of drag queens, some Satyrs, and a Centaur. She let her hair down in a way that Joey never saw before as he got so used to seeing a well-composed Bianca.

PJ didn’t act quite as wild, which Joey found surprising. Instead, she quickly applied some makeup for a mildly dramatic effect as she took to the makeshift stage. She joined an acting group where they performed an improv play. She would accuse a Faun of being as heartless as Mr. Darcy, while the Faun accused her of being as naive as Snow White.

As for Hank, he found his way outside to the saltwater pool. Mermaids and Nymphs started to splash at Hank to leave his clothes soaked. He stripped down to his underwear, but instead of the situation getting sexual, an elf pulled him onto a tarp where others were being painted. He laughed as he got covered in paint and joined the other painted people in failing around on a canvas to create a masterpiece.

The liberation that the Ambrosia granted them showed quite a different side to everyone, then Joey saw regularly. The only one not too surprising was Wyatt since music was so deeply ingrained into his life.

Joey smiled. “They’re so happy.”

Dion nodded. “Like you were. And I don’t mean from the sex.” He kissed Joey’s head. “You have the grace of a dancer, the soul of a lover, and the heart of a writer.”

“Writer?”

“You don’t remember? You recited poetry and mumbled so many story ideas last night.” Dion shrugged. “Maybe that was you sleep talking.”

Joey grinned as he didn’t know that part about himself. He knew so little about his desires that he never imagined part of him would want to dance and write. Then again, he did always enjoy dancing, and he always had words buzzing in his head, it’s how he ended up being the one to write the new Power of Three spells. 

Joey’s eyes found their way onto the crowd when he noticed Ganymede hanging more Ambrosia to guests. The name echoed in Joey’s head, as he thought about writing. He turned to Dion. “Ganymede. You said the Olympians created Erotia. Is he Zeus’s Ganymede?”

“No. That Ganymede passed centuries ago.” 

Joey nodded, but something still bothered him. He recalled all the things he saw in Dion’s room and how he seemed too relaxed over everything. He squeezed Dion’s hand, while he didn’t attempt to absorb Dion’s power, he could still sense something more to Dion then a simple caretaker. Dion knew far too much.

Joey pulled his hand away since he didn’t know what to make of Dion. “Who are you? Really. You’re no caretaker or ordinary magical being.”

Dion frowned. He stepped away from Joey since he didn’t know how to gauge Joey’s potential response to the truth. “Dion is a facade that I created to protect my identity. It also keeps Erotia safe from those who would abuse its power. But it looks like I can’t hide much longer.”

Joey nodded. “So, who are you?”

“I am Apollo. The last God of Olympus.”

“What?” Joey’s knees nearly gave way, which put him in danger of falling down the stairs. Luckily, Apollo caught Joey before that happened. At that moment, the contact caused Joey to shudder as he felt Apollo’s power. It reminded him of Asmodeus’s power, but not malevolent. He sensed warmth and kindness. “You’re a God?”

Apollo nodded as he gently pulled Joey to safety. “I apologize for deceiving you, Joey. I wanted you to know me as a person and not be swayed by my godhood. I understand if that repulses you and if you can never forgive me.”

“I kissed a God.” Joey gasped. “I had sex with a God!” Joey chuckled. He looked at Dion, smiling now. “My love life is officially far messier than my Aunt Phoebe’s.”

“Love life,” Apollo whispered. A second later, Joey leaned over to kiss him. Apollo grinned while he held onto Joey, their kiss slowly deepening. 

Joey wrapped his arms around Apollo’s neck. He broke the kiss. “We should go to your room. You and I have a lot of talking to do.” Apollo agreed as he took Joey’s hand and led him into his bedroom.

*~*

That morning, Joey gathered everyone at a table in Erotia. They sat with a large feast prepared and plenty of fresh orange juice, which apparently was the cure to Ambrosia hangovers. Everyone chomped away at their food while Erotia’s residents started their day elsewhere in the massive house. All while Apollo gave a proper introduction. The news that they were in the presence of a God proved shocking, more so when they noticed how comfortable Apollo acted around Joey.

Wyatt stabbed his waffles and looked at Apollo closely. “So why. Why do you need our help protecting Erotia? You’re a God.”

Apollo smirked. He dressed adequately now in some comfortable loungewear instead of his usual, sexual getup. “That’s exactly why I can’t properly protect Erotia. Even after accumulating more domains of power like Dionysus’s position as God of Festivity and Aphrodite's role as God of Passion, my power is still waning. I do not have as many worshipers as I once did, making my powers far weaker, even as Erotia and I traveled the world to find more people who needed its refuge.”

Apollo refilled his coffee mug, while everyone else continued to eat. “I’ve done well in protecting Erotia, but your American government seeks to claim Erotia’s ability to traverse the world instantaneously, which they would surely use as a weapon of war. I kept Erotia away from this country, but it also means that I couldn’t help the poor people that needed refuge.”

“That’s not surprising.” Chris sipped his orange juice. “Homeland Security went after our mom and her sisters. Are they after Erotia now?”

“No. It’s something called the Agency of Supernatural Containment.”

Bianca shuddered. “That sounds rather ominous. I get why you see it as a threat.”

PJ tilted her head. “Why did you return here?”

“Them.” Apollo pointed at Joey, Wyatt, and Chris. “I sensed the shift in mystical alignment when they became the Charmed Ones. I tried to handle the agency alone, but I cannot. My powers are too weak. I need the Charmed Ones to save Erotia.”

Joey finished his orange juice. He recovered from yesterday’s hangover too now. He reached for Apollo’s hand, which made Wyatt and Chris squint their eyes as they didn’t know what to make of their brother getting involved with a God. “We’ll help. This place is too special to let fall in the wrong hands. Especially to something as crucial as this country’s military.”

Hank nodded. “Good point. This country would use Erotia to sneak a nuke to blow up a country that they deem hostile.”

“That’s a horrifying thought,” said Veronica.

Apollo squeezed Joey’s hand. He muttered his thanks for Joey’s assistance but turned to Wyatt and Chris since he knew that Joey couldn’t speak for them. “And you, two? Can I count on the Charmed Ones?”

Chris glanced at Wyatt, then they nodded. “You got the Power of Three.”

“Many thanks.” Apollo stood from his seat. “Now, enjoy your breakfast. I’ll start making preparations to fortify Erotia before the ASC can find our location.” Apollo patted Joey’s shoulder before departing to another part of Erotia.

Joey blushed from Apollo’s touch. He didn’t know what to think or say, as his heart fluttered even more now that he solved the mystery of Dion and knew Apollo’s secret. He didn’t have any worry even, aside from the danger that loomed over their heads from this mysterious agency.

However, Joey’s thoughts got interrupted when he noticed the intense looks that Wyatt and Chris gave him. “What?”

Wyatt took another bite of his waffle. “A God? Couldn’t you have fallen for a Witch or a Whitelighter or a Cupid? You have to date a God.”

Chris nodded as he grabbed a sausage link. “You’re asking for trouble, Joey. Especially an Olympian God. It never ends well for their mortal lovers.”

“Don’t jinx them!” said PJ. “I ship it!”

Joey groaned. “Can we please focus on protecting Erotia and not my love life?” He glanced at everyone. He could see that Wyatt, Chris, and PJ had more words, while Bianca and Veronica stayed silent since they had no business getting involved.

Meanwhile, Hank raised his orange juice. “Seconded.”

*~*

In preparation for calling the Power of Three to reinforce Erotia’s wards, Apollo had most of Erotia’s occupants retreat into their bedrooms. They didn’t know what effects the spell might have, and Apollo wanted to ensure everyone’s safety as best as he could. To protect Erotia from the Agency of Supernatural Containment, they couldn’t rely on a standard ward. They would need to create one that was far more complex. 

Apollo returned from one of Erotia’s hidden rooms. He brought with him a medallion that bore a lightning bolt. He presented it to Joey. “This is an amulet that Zeus created to sustain Erotia from a blessing that my fellow Olympian Gods and I placed upon it. If you use the Power of Three on the amulet, then surely that would recharge the power it’s lost since we lost our worship.”

Joey carefully held onto the amulet. “Is that all it’ll take to protect Erotia? One little Power of Three spell?”

“I hope so. I already feel guilty about turning to you in the first place. I don’t want to ask more from you.”

Wyatt smirked as he took the amulet from Joey, making sure to treat the amulet with care. “Let’s call this payback for our mom and aunts using the essence of your family to vanquish the Titans.” Apollo nodded. Wyatt gestured for Chris and Joey to follow to the center of the living room. They touched the amulet and began to recite a protection spell that they used to help secure the manor and their aunts’ homes.

However, they wouldn’t get the chance to recite the spell. Erotia’s front door blasted open. Apollo twisted his head as they heard someone scream, “Bomb em’!” Someone tossed a flash grenade which erupted in a massive blast of light. It would’ve blinded everyone if Apollo had not anticipated the move. Apollo’s body flashed with golden light as he absorbed the flash grenade’s light.

In the process, another grenade got tossed inside, this time, one that contained tear gas. The gas began to pour out. Luckily, Wyatt threw up his force field, which prevented the tear gas from attacking them as his barrier grew large enough to protect everyone. Chris and PJ swung their arms, unleashing a telekinetic blast that opened every door and window in the living room then tossed the tear gas canister outside to help eliminate the gas.

A dozen armed men would storm into Erotia, believing that they still had an advantage. These men came geared up with gas masks and body armor that made them appear slightly menacing, more so then the guns that they carried. However, they noticed one wasn’t armed but still wore a gas mask.

Seth removed his mask as he saw the tear gas plan failed miserably. He huffed. “I told you that you couldn’t use cheap tricks on magical beings.” He groaned when he noticed the force field. “Satan’s balls. You’re here.”

Wyatt slipped the medallion into his pocket while maintaining the force field “You make it sound like we should know you.”

“I’m a humble warlock,” said Seth. “But, of course, I’d know the infamous Halliwell family and friends.” He gazed at everyone, his eyes locked onto PJ for a moment longer than everyone else. He bit his lip but made no sign of hesitating on his part as he glared at Apollo. “Caretaker. You have something I want.”

“And what’s that?” asked Apollo.

Seth raised his hand. A ball of purple fire manifested. “Your powers as a God.” He flung the fireball at the force field, causing it to crumble. 

Wyatt dropped to his knee. He gasped as the purple fireball knocked the wind out of him. He glared at Seth, unsure how a warlock could prove that great of a threat. Seeing Wyatt fall, everyone else knew to take the situation seriously.

The armed agents attempted to open fire when Hank led the others in running interference. Hank unleashed a blast of freezing wind that encased some of their guns in ice. Those agents dropped their guns before they got hit with frostbite. Meanwhile, Chris would orb the other half’s guns and tossed them outside with the tear gas canister.

An agent attempted to rush Apollo only for Bianca to spring into action. Bianca grabbed the agent’s arm and broke it without the slightest hesitation. She shoved him a bit when Joey offered his assistance for a team attack. As the agent stumbled, Joey kicked the agent in the chest with enough force to send him sailing towards his comrades.

Some of the agents went for a set of pistols that they carried on their holsters. They would take aim, focusing on Wyatt, but Veronica would stop them from pulling the trigger. She raised her hands, unleashing a barrage of colorful sparks that left them blinded as not even their masks could shield them from her power.

Even Seth found himself blinded from the sparks, making it difficult for him to use his Blinking power. “Fuck!” Seth struggled to properly regain his vision when he noticed PJ making her move. PJ swung her arm to pull a portrait from the wall and slam it against Seth, causing him to stumble. Seth regained his vision only to feel the pain from a heavy portrait. However, he also noticed Chris.

Chris channeled bands of electricity across his arms while he maintained eye contact with Seth. “We can’t kill humans, but we can kill the warlock.”

Seth shook his head. “Not this time, Halliwells!” He conjured another purple fireball and slammed it to the ground. The explosion generated a cloud of smoke that meant that Chris couldn’t accurately aim his attack. It would give Seth all the time that he needed. Seth wiggled his fingers, sparks of purple fire dancing from his skin. “ _Lacus_!”

A blast of energy erupted from the ground as Seth conjured a swirling vortex. He shoved some of the agents into the vortex and ordered their retreat. The other agents didn’t hesitate to escape since they were clearly outmatched. Seth would bitterly dive into the vortex, while the smoke faded. He would get the Halliwells back and claim Apollo’s powers for himself another day.

The vortex closed, ending the immediate threat to Erotia.

Wyatt started to pull himself back to his feet. He stumbled slightly; then Veronica grabbed onto his arm to help steady him. “So that was the agency. They wouldn’t have been much of a threat if it wasn’t for that warlock.”

Joey nodded. “That means we need more than a simple ward. He helped them find Erotia.” Joey turned to Apollo. “And he wants what’s left of your powers. We can’t take any risks.”

Apollo tried to smile as he touched Joey’s arm. “What do you think we can do?”

“Call in reinforcements.” 

*~*

Retreating to the lobby of the Agency’s San Francisco office, Seth groaned as he watched the agents run to their mission debriefing to report their miserable failure. 

Seth crossed his arms over his chest. He squinted his eyes as he looked out the windows. He could only think of how the Halliwells ruined an otherwise flawless plan. He had hoped that Apollo wouldn’t have turned to that family for aid, but that’s precisely what happened. 

It took too long for Seth to track Erotia, which meant he couldn’t afford to go in half-cocked next time. 

Seth huffed. “You won’t win, Halliwells. Next, we meet, I’ll put an end to you and your pitiful bloodline.”


	21. Tokens of Passion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! I got a new chapter fresh from Google Docs. Ooooooo. Hopefully, y'all enjoy it. I am super exhausted from writing it and working on everything else that I'm doing for work and school. So leave behind some kudos and comments. I appreciate all of it, and clearly I respond to your comments! I enjoy engaging with y'all.
> 
> Anywho, enjoy the chapter!

Operation Save Erotia began without any hesitation on the part of the Halliwells. The urgency of keeping the Agency of Supernatural Containment from seizing Erotia’s powers made it that they couldn’t take any chances. Within an hour, reinforcements got brought to Erotia, while they also began to organize the evacuation efforts for their plan.

Two sets of light-blue orbs manifested in Erotia’s crowded living room. Chris orbed Piper, while Paige brought Phoebe. They arrived to see Joey helped Apollo take organize everyone into groups, while Veronica and PJ helped gather everyone from their hiding places. All while Wyatt, Bianca, and Hank guarded the perimeter in case the Agency and Seth returned. 

Chris acted quickly to fill them in on everything that happened since Joey first entered Erotia. Oddly enough, they didn’t appear too shocked as they were introduced to Apollo.

Apollo gave a cheery smile to them while shaking their hands. However, he would squint at them as he noticed something off about them. “I see.” He nodded. “I was aware that you borrowed the essence of my family to vanquish the Titans. I shouldn’t be so surprised that traces of their essence still lingers within you.”

Piper crossed her arms. “Really? I thought we lost everything. We haven’t been able to use their powers since we returned the essences.”

“The magic of the Gods is a bit more complex. While you no longer use their powers directly, a part of their essence likely stayed with you. It may have even helped you during your other battles.”

Phoebe smiled. “After everything we endured, I’m glad that we had any backup that we did.”

Paige nodded. “I guess that means we need to do even more work to help you to make up for what your family did for us. So, where do we fit in this plan?”

Apollo gestured to the magical beings and humans that crowded every corner of Erotia. Many worried faces looked back at them, some having a degree of optimism since they knew of the Halliwell’s reputation, and others panicked as the Agency could attack at any minute. They needed proper reassurance that they would be okay, and that their sanctuary would survive the coming battle.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige took the hint.

Joey stared at his phone for a second before nodding. He went over to them and grinned. “Dad’s ready. Magic School is all set to serve as a temporary refuge.”

“Great.” Paige clapped her hands as she started to move to a wall. “I’ll open a door.” She asked for a pair of Satyrs to scoot aside a bit, making everyone a bit more uncomfortable. She muttered a few words under her breath, which made an elegant, mahogany door manifest. She maintained quite the connection to Magic School during her brief time as headmistress. 

The door creaked open to reveal Tamora and Paulina standing on the opposite side. They stood in the library of Magic School, which was cleared of students and faculty to give Erotia’s residents more space. 

Tamora whistled. “Alright, peeps! Come on in! You’re safe here.”

Paulina smiled and waved. “We have plenty of food and drinks. Also, we have rooms set up for anyone that needs rest.”

“Good job, girls.” Paige stepped away from the doorway as she turned to Erotia’s residents. “You heard them! Go through the door, and keep it orderly.” Paige stood her ground with Phoebe providing back up. Phoebe squinted her eyes, using her empathic powers to ease some of the tensions so that Erotia’s residents moved peacefully.

The evacuation slowly began, which gave Joey some hope that they could save Erotia as they could now have an undivided focus on fending off the Agency and Seth’s next attack.

*~*

Meanwhile, Seth entered the Agency’s nearly empty boardroom. He continued to strut like he owned the building as he had no fear of the Agency turning against him. He knew that they’d betray him eventually, once he was no longer useful to them, but he also knew that he could outsmart whatever the Agency planned. He knew the pathetic tricks and hearts of humans, which meant he came prepared. 

Seth took a seat on one end of the table. He folded his arms over the table as he leaned a bit and smiled while staring at Jonathan.

Jonathan sat with his arms crossed. He projected a lethal aura, reinforced with the gun pointed at Seth. Now, he knew that a gun would do no good against a warlock like Seth, but it acted more like a warning than a proper weapon. “Even with your assistance,” started Jonathan, “my agents failed to capture Erotia. You’re making me look bad to my superiors.”

“This was only the first attempt.” Seth chuckled. “How many times did you go after Erotia before I volunteered to help you? Three times? Six? Two dozen?” Seth sneered when he noticed Jonathan flinch. Seth knew too much about the Agency’s activities, primarily since their interests for Erotia lined up with his quest to claim Apollo’s powers. “While I do not like to lose either, I won’t make the same mistakes the next time.”

Jonathan glared. “What makes you think they’ll be a next time for you?”

Seth rolled his eyes. “Do you really think you’d stand a chance against the Halliwells? Erotia is under the protection of the Charmed Ones now. Their power is beyond your pathetic comprehension. If they willed it, they could eliminate this moronic government, including your little agency. That is the difference between good witches like them and warlocks like me. Their humanity will hold them back, whereas I have no problem getting my hands bloody.”

“If they’re so powerful, then what makes you think you can defeat them? And get us Erotia?”

“I know their weaknesses and how they think. I’ve been preparing to fight the Charmed Ones for years. The current Charmed Ones. Their mother and aunts are responsible for my parents’ deaths.”

Jonathan took a deep breath. He grabbed the gun, making sure the safety was still engaged before placing it into his holster. “I lost my parents too. From magic.” Seth’s confession poked at painful memories that Jonathan kept locked. But the pain would serve as Jonathan’s drive, his crusade against the magical. “We were sailing on the Gulf of Mexico, twenty years ago. The boat tipped over because of a sudden storm. They managed to get me onto a lifeboat, but before they could save themselves, a pair of mermaids found us. Those mermaids dragged my parents under.”

Seth nodded. “That’s why you hate the magical community. This is all very personal to you.”

“Yes. It’s why they must be contained.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Seth placed a finger on his chin. “Now, let’s strategize. What is everything that your Agency has its disposal? We can’t take any chances with the Halliwells if we want to have any hope of succeeding in our next attack. There is no third chance for us.”

“Understood.” Jonathan grabbed a remote to turn on a TV monitor so that he could display everything that the Agency had to offer. They ran through countless variables as Jonathan used his more militaristic thinking, and Seth relied on his arcane knowledge so that they could create the most effective means of eliminating their targets.

*~*

As evacuations continued, Piper opened a second door to Magic School to help speed things along as they didn’t want to risk Seth and the Agency surprising them. Magical beings and humans moved in an orderly fashion. Everything appeared fine as they saw no major red flags to signal trouble.

Joey climbed the staircase to join Apollo, who watched everything from the interior balcony. Apollo gripped onto the railings. Apollo maintained a compassionate watch over his people even while Joey noticed how tightly Apollo gripped the rail.

“You okay?” Joey placed a hand on Apollo’s lower back.

Apollo turned slightly, enough to properly address Joey but not take his eyes entirely off the evacuation efforts. “I’m fine. Concerned more than anything.” Apollo sighed. He released the rail and took hold of Joey’s hands. “Your family is doing me a great kindness. I cannot repay such a debt.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s kind of our job to protect the innocent.”

“There is nothing innocent about me,” whispered Apollo, too softly for Joey to hear.

Apollo shook his head. He continued to hold Joey’s hand as he led Joey down the hallway. He took them away for a moment, while everyone else continued with the evacuations unsupervised.

Eventually, they made it into Apollo’s bedroom. There they had total privacy where they wouldn’t need to fear anyone overhearing their talk.

Joey squinted his eyes. He could tell something was going on with Apollo, especially when looking at how Apollo averted eye contact. “Something’s wrong. You’re not so chatty.” Joey crossed his arms. “Knowing a little of your history and what Riordan wrote, I can tell that’s not normal for you.”

Apollo chuckled. “ _Riordan_. I haven’t drunk with him in a while.”

Somehow Joey didn't find it that surprising that Apollo knew the writer, Rick Riordan, especially given how Riordan wrote the Olympian Gods. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”

“My heart.” Apollo sighed once more before a frown appeared on his face. He resisted the urge to cry as he met Joey’s gaze. “We’ve only known each other briefly, but I’ve quickly come attached to you. You much like the mortals that I’ve come to love, but also so much stronger than them. Not only because of your magic. It is your heart that’s captivated me.”

Joey smiled. He didn’t know what to say to Apollo’s words. He never imagined that a God would proclaim such deviation. However, he wouldn’t get the chance to respond.

Apollo reached for Joey’s hands. His eyes widened as he spoke with true desperation from the depths of his immortal soul. “I have a question for you. Joseph Noel Halliwell will accept my gift of immortality so we may be together forever.”

  
*~*

Meanwhile, nearly everyone left Erotia now.

Piper stood near the second doorway, watching the last centaur clear out. She looked around the corner to spot a man and a Valkyrie leaving from the other doorway. She smiled. “All good here.”

“Then, I should leave the rest to you.” Leo stood against the doorway, smiling too. He reached for Piper’s hand. “So...Apollo?”

Piper chuckled. “He’s interesting.” 

Leo shrugged as he knew a bit of Apollo from his days as an Elder. “I don’t think Joey realizes how much trouble he’ll be in for if he tries to pursue a God.”

“I think he knows enough, but, well, you know our family. We’re pretty stubborn and reckless when it comes to our love lives.” Piper stepped closer and kissed Leo’s cheek. “That’s why I’m still with you.”

“You’re right.” Leo turned to check on Erotia’s residents. He could see Henry and Coop corralling some of the magical beings, but would need some help soon. “I should go. Good luck with the Agency.”

Piper nodded. She closed the door to seal the entrance to Magic School so it wouldn’t get caught in the conflict too.

Meanwhile, Phoebe and Chris stood next to Brody who orbed down from the Heavens.

Brody had his hands in his pockets as he gave them a report from the Elders. "The Agency is something that's bothered the Elders for a while now. The Elders knew magical beings were disappearing, artifacts were stolen, and sites of power were violated. However, they assumed it involved demons, not humans."

Chris shrugged. "And once again, the Elders were wrong. Surprise. Surprise." He grunted when Phoebe smacked his chest.

"What's the plan?" Phoebe tossed her hair over her shoulder. "How do the Elders want us to handle the Agency? We're expecting another attack soon enough. If we can't fight."

"You can." Brody sighed. "You can't kill the agents, but the Elders have granted you authorization to do anything else in order to subdue the Agency."

Chris smirked. "Fun!" He stuck his hand out. "You brought the dust, right?"

Brody handed over two satchels of memory dust. "Use it wisely." Chris and Phoebe nodded, assuring Brody that the memory dust wouldn't be abused. "I'll help the others at Magic School. Good luck." Brody orbed out of Erotia, leaving the rest to them.

Down the hall, before Paige could close the door, Wyatt blocked it. He held onto Veronica’s hand as he gestured for her to go to Magic School. Paige stepped away to give the couple a bit of space.

Veronica leaned against the doorway. “Are you sure that you want me to go too? You kinda needed me to save your ass last time. What if Seth overpowers you again?”

Wyatt smiled. He moved his hands and started to rub Veronica’s arms. He leaned his forehead against her forehead, closing his eyes. “My mom and aunts are here. I have plenty of people to watch out for me. Plus, this fight is a bit too dangerous for you.” He sighed. “If you had the chance to train with Bianca for a bit, then I wouldn’t be so worried. That’s why I don't want you here when the fight breaks out. Plus, my dad could use some help at Magic School.”

“Is that all?” Veronica asked while she tugged his shirt’s hem.

“Yeah.” Wyatt kissed her forehead. “I love you too much to risk you getting hurt because of me.” Wyatt gulped as he realized the words that escaped his lips.

Veronica caught it too as she backed away from Wyatt a bit. Her eyes widened, and her hand trembled as she covered her mouth. “Did you really say that?”

Wyatt gulped again. “I did.”

The shock turned into a grin. Veronica stood on her toes and kissed Wyatt. “Okay. I’ll go to Magic School.” She grabbed onto his shirt, taking a deep breath to remember his smell. “But only because I love you too.” Veronica started to disappear into the doorway, grabbing onto the door handle to seal the door behind her.

As the door closed, Wyatt’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe that he confessed his love, but he also found himself shocked by Veronica sharing her feelings too. 

Paige covered her mouth to hide her grin. “My nephew and favorite godson is in love!”

The moment came crashing. Wyatt shook his head. “I’m your only godson, Aunt Paige.”

Paige nodded as she kissed Wyatt’s cheek, getting a little of her red lipstick stuck on his cheek. She took his hand as they began to reunite with the others to prepare for reinforcing Erotia’s defenses.

*~*

As the war table meeting was almost underway, PJ went upstairs to find Joey. She made it halfway down the hallway when a stunned Joey stepped out of Apollo’s bedroom. Then, a grief-stricken Apollo left the bedroom and started to make his way downstairs. PJ watched, speechless as Apollo didn’t appear even to notice her while Joey kept still.

PJ scratched her head. She went over to Joey, touching his arm. “Are you okay? Did something happen with Apollo? Did...did he try something?”

Joey shook his head. “Nothing like that,” he whispered. He bumped his head against the wall and groaned. He had a few stray tears fall down his cheek. “Apollo. He. He offered to make me immortal. So that we could be together.”

“Shut up!” PJ covered her mouth. She looked behind her and saw nobody running upstairs, so they didn’t hear her. She scooted closer. “Did you say yes? What does that mean? Can you even be a Charmed One if you’re a God’s immortal bride?”

“ _I said no_!” Joey closed his eyes. “I said no.” He shook his head. He wrapped his arms around himself. “There’s too much going on...and I can’t run away from my responsibilities even if it meant possibly spending an eternity of being happy with Apollo. I can’t abandon you all. Not now.”

PJ frowned. “Oh...and how did Apollo take it?”

“He understood.”

“That’s good,” PJ whispered as she held onto Joey’s arm. “And good that he took no for an answer. Considering that his father was Zeus, at least you weren’t raped by an eagle, then whisked to Olympus against your will or left pregnant so Hera would be out to kill you and your child.”

Joey shook his head. He brushed aside his tears and pulled his arm away from PJ. “Not helping.” He made his way downstairs, keeping silent so that he could prepare himself for a fight.

*~*

A bursting light illuminated the woods in central Georgia. Apollo warped Erotia across the United States to leave the Agency guessing their next move. They wanted to take away any advantage that the Agency might have in a fight, while also ensuring that they were far from civilians.

They made their plan a simple one. They spread out across the main entries into Erotia, bracing themselves for any surprise attacks. Piper joined Phoebe and Paige to guard an entrance. Meanwhile, Bianca led Hank and PJ at another entrance. Wyatt stood close with Joey and Chris as they guarded another entrance, while Apollo stayed on the interior balcony to keep his distance. Apollo’s declining powers would leave him too vulnerable in a fight, especially against someone as power-hungry as Seth.

Phoebe clenched her fists. “Apollo, how should we handle the fighting? Erotia is somewhat sentient, so should we be careful with doing any damage?”

Apollo shook his head. “Erotia understands what is at stake. You have their permission to do whatever is necessary to stop the Agency.”

Hank raised his eyebrow. “Erotia uses _they, their, them_ pronouns. Good to know.”

Erotia began to shake. Hank started to apologize out of fear of offending Erotia, but Bianca pointed out that something else was happening. That’s when they noticed from the windows a group of dozens of armed men in black body armor stepping from the trees. These men slowly approached Erotia; none doubted that the men came from the Agency.

“Incoming!” shouted Chris.

Wyatt braced himself. “That Seth is powerful and smart if he was able to find us that quick and bring the Agency here.”

Gunfire rained on Erotia. The bullets hammered Erotia like raindrops, but most of the bullets bounced across the surface. However, the few bullets that touched the windows caused the glass to shatter, weakening the defenses. Wyatt, Paige, and Hank sprang into action. Wyatt threw up his force field, Paige summoned dozens of orbs to form a shield, and Hank generated a wall of ice. Their magic provided enough coverage that the bullets couldn’t do them much harm, but they also prepared as the agents got closer.

Within moments, Erotia’s doors were breached. And dozens of agents flooded the sentient house, sparking a massive rumble. 

Piper flicked her wrist, causing the guns that the agents in front of her wielded to melt. “Oh, no. I bet you didn’t know that I could do that.” Her molecular powers advanced years ago to where she could not only freeze and explode objects but cause them to melt. The guns proved utterly useless, forcing the agents to abandon them on the ground. 

A few agents were quick enough to grab some stun batons to make their next move.

Paige orbed a baton to her hand and zapped an agent’s exposed arm. The agent fell, while another came at her with a punch. “Big mistake, asshole!” She groaned from the hit but orbed the agent out of Erotia.

Phoebe ducked before an agent could throw their punch. She then sprang into the air, levitating over everyone. “Take this!” She easily built up enough momentum to kick a pair of agents across the room. Their helmets were the only thing that saved from the kick proving fatal as she struck with enough force.

Across Erotia, Bianca dealt with a batch of agents alone. She shimmered and reappeared behind a group of agents before they even realized what happened. She drew a dagger from its sheath then slashed at the agents. The dagger was sharp enough to pierce through the armor, but couldn’t go deep enough to leave any fatal gashes. Instead, they were left with minor cuts on their arms and legs.

Bianca huffed. “You’re lucky I’ve abandoned being a master assassin.” 

Meanwhile, Hank brought his hands together. A cold wind started to form as he constructed an icy baseball bat. He swung the baseball bat, tossing it at PJ as a group of agents went after her. “Yo! Harley Quinn!”

PJ caught the baseball bat as she heard Hank’s signal. She developed a bit of an obsession with Harley Quinn after watching _Suicide Squad_ , which only grew more after seeing _Birds of Prey_. She started to lick her lips and raised her eyebrows. “Batter up, boys!” She began to live her Harley Quinn fantasy as she went after the agents. None of them could get a shot on her as she moved with astonishing speed. She smashed them to bits. While she couldn’t kill, she showed no mercy when it came to breaking bones.

PJ broke her frozen bat when she smashed the last agent’s knees. “Oops! My bad!” She almost laughed as she then swung her arm, telekinetically tossing the injured agents outside.

Hank brought his hands together once more. “ _Ice-Make: HAMMER_!” He constructed a war hammer that he used to smash the agent’s helmets. The force of the hammer didn’t kill them, but it would leave the agents regretting all their life choices. As more agents fell, Hank would swing his hammer at another agent, hitting the agent in the chest and send him sailing outside.

As everyone else had their fun, Chris directed his agent onto their batch of agents. Electricity crackled across his arms with sparks igniting on his fingertips. “I’m coming for your guns, motherfuckers!” He unleashed a barrage of electricity that struck a handful of guns. However, the surge grew wider from the conduction to spread to the other guns, shocking the agents, forcing them to disarm themselves. 

“Chris! Language!” shouted Piper.

Chris gulped. “Sorry, mom!”

An agent grabbed their stun baton and lunged after Chris, only for Joey to block the attack. Joey grabbed the baton, then turned the agent’s momentum against him. Joey twisted the agent’s arm to disarm him before kicking the back of his knee, forcing him to the ground. Joey kicked the agent’s head, sending him down for the count.

Joey grabbed the baton just in time as another agent went after him. Joey raised the baton to cover himself before he got shocked. “You know, I always did like Lightsaber duels. Care to play, big guy?” Joey smirked. “So that you know, I cheat.” He kicked the agent’s crotch then punched the agent’s face.

“Less quips!” Wyatt sidestepped from a charging agent. “More ass-kicking!” He orbed a vase onto that agent’s back, causing the agent to crash into a wall. He focused his attention on the other agents. He froze a pair before joining Chris in a telekinetic blast that pushed more away.

However, as they focused on the fighting, Seth blinked into Erotia. Seth smiled from the chaos unfolding when he looked upstairs to find Apollo moving away from the balcony. “Oh, goodie. Just who I was looking for.” Seth blinked upstairs to get closer to Apollo as Apollo started to retreat.

Wyatt kicked an agent and happened to turn at the right second to notice Seth. Wyatt muttered, “Shit.” He looked to see Joey was closer to the staircase. “Joey! Seth is here!”

Joey kicked another agent’s crotch when he heard Wyatt’s words. He nodded and raised the voltage on the stun baton as he started to run upstairs, leaving everyone else to fight the remaining agents.

*~*

Upstairs, Apollo did his best to flee from Seth, who neared ever closer.

Seth continued smiling. He flicked his wrist to summon a purple fireball that he flung at Apollo as he turned a corner. Apollo avoided the attack as he retreated to another part of Erotia even as Seth maintained the pursuit.

“Why run, old god?” Seth flicked his wrist again to summon another purple fireball. “Aren’t you the mighty Apollo? Slayer of the Python. Or have you lost all your power since you lost your worshipers to that Christ boy? Did our last attack really take that much power from you?”

Apollo hid in one of Erotia’s bedroom. He kept away from the doorway while drawing a bronze dagger from his sleeve. “You know not what I am capable of, warlock!” Apollo sensed Seth nearing him, which caused him to spring into action. Apollo moved to slash at Seth only to miss when Seth blinked.

Seth reappeared behind Apollo. “Don’t I?” Seth tossed the purple fireball, blasting Apollo out the bedroom. Apollo crashed into a wall and collapsed, while also losing the dagger. Seth laughed. “You are weaker but still valuable to my plans. I will claim what is owed to me by birth. And you, old god, are the key to granting my birthright.”

“I will help you with nothing,” Apollo hissed.

Before Seth made his next move, Joey appeared from around the corner. Joey struck Seth’s neck with the stun baton. The voltage would’ve rendered a human unconscious, but Seth proved far too powerful to fall so easily.

Seth stumbled slightly but regained his balance soon enough. He knocked the stun baton from Joey’s hand then grabbed Joey by the neck. “You are nothing, little boy.” Seth slammed Joey against the wall, while Apollo urged Joey to run.

Joey felt something crack. However, he wouldn’t surrender. “Fuck you!” Joey kneed Seth’s gut to break free before he ran out of air. With Seth distracted from his pain, Joey took that as his opportunity to strike. He kicked Seth as hard as he could, causing Seth to land down the hallway.

As Seth laid in defeat, Joey took that as his chance to check on Apollo. Joey swallowed his pain and knelt over, holding Apollo’s hand. “Are you okay?”

Apollo nodded and squeezed Joey’s hand. “Better with you here.” He started to get back on his feet when he noticed Seth blinked. “No! Joey!” Apollo watched as Seth appeared behind Joey, armed with the dagger that Apollo lost. Apollo closed his eyes. 

Golden light trickled from Apollo into Joey. While they exchanged plenty of contact before, Joey displayed greater control of his absorption power but still couldn’t absorb power from a God. Until now, now, Apollo allowed Joey’s absorption power to activate, transferring some of his godly might into Joey.

Joey’s eyes turned bright orange. Power unlike any that Joey experienced before coursed throughout his veins. A power far greater than the Power of Three itself. Seth stabbed Joey’s back, but the dagger shattered instead of ripping flesh. Seth dropped the broken dagger with his jaw-dropping. Joey turned, releasing Apollo from his touch. Apollo slid back against the wall, leaving Joey to handle the cleanup.

Seth gulped. “Hey, Joseph. Let’s have a talk.”

Joey shook his head. He barely moved an inch but still managed to punch Seth in a rapid motion. The punch sent Seth sailing across Erotia. Seth went down the hallway, smashing through the balcony’s railing, and crashed onto the ground floor.

The sudden sound stopped the fighting downstairs. The broken agents welcomed the reprieve, while Joey’s family and Bianca noticed how easily Seth got defeated. 

Bright light bathed over Joey as he floated to the ground. His eyes remained orange, while he continued wielding Apollo’s power. He took stock of everyone else in Erotia then spread his arms outward. A wave of golden light erupted from his body, pushing Seth and the agents outside.

The agents and Seth groaned from the additional injuries. Seth started to get back up when Joey appeared outside. Joey held his hand, unleashing a blinding blast of light that would surely kill Seth in a single strike. However, Seth would blink, retreating before Joey could vanquish him. Instead, the light blast struck a nearby tree, lightning part of it on fire. 

Joey hissed that he didn’t get the chance to vanquish Seth. 

As Joey bemoaned Seth’s escape, everyone else worked on using memory dust to erase the agents’ memories. 

Apollo stumbled from Erotia. “It’s time to let it go, Joey.” Apollo reached for Joey’s hand. Luckily, Joey would respond in kind as his mind wasn’t completely lost to a God’s power. Their hands touched with Apollo using his magic to reverse the process, reclaiming the power that he gave Joey.

Joey sighed as he collapsed against Apollo’s chest. Apollo wrapped his arms around Joey before he fell. “That...that was intense.”

Apollo smiled. “That’s what it’s like to be immortal.”

*~*

Seth didn’t bother to retrieve the mindless agents and bring them back to the Agency. He left them behind in Georgia. He held onto his battered body, taking heavy breaths. The beating he took from Joey proved far more damaging than first expected. It would take a God’s power to leave him so hopelessly crushed.

Seth swallowed the pain. He smashed his fist against the wall, flinching from the contact. He cursed himself for acting so hasty as it caused him more pain. He stepped from the wall and approached Jonathan’s office to manipulate the situation to his advantage.

However, Seth wouldn’t make it that far. He would wander down the empty hallways only to learn he wasn’t alone. The clicking of boots alerted Seth to trouble. Within seconds, six armed agents appeared with Jonathan leading them.

Jonathan straightened his suit jacket. His hand gliding slowly to the gun on its holster, which he unfastened. “We heard of what happened, Seth. The drone I had watching you reported that you failed and that you abandoned my men.”

“Oops.” Seth licked the blood from his lip. “Now, it’s not as bad as you think, Johnny. Sure, Erotia is beyond our reach now. But there are so many other magical sources of power that are ripe for the taking. You and I can work一” The boom of a bullet forced Seth into silence. The bullet sailed across Seth’s face, crashing into the wall behind him. Seth closed his eyes as he could see what this meant.

“Our alliance is over.” Jonathan cocked the trigger again while aiming for Seth’s torso this time. “Go to hell, warlock.”

Seth smirked. Seth clenched his fist while Jonathan gave the order to execute. As they readied their guns, Seth would put an end to the pathetic charade. Seth’s eyes turned pitch black with purple fire rising across his body. The display of magic caused Jonathan and the agents to hesitate for a second, which gave Seth the advantage that he needed.

The agents howled while steam rose from their bodies. Jonathan turned to his agents and watched, horrified, as the purple fire spread across their bodies. Seth burned these agents alive, leaving behind nothing but of hot purple ash.

The flames vanished from Seth’s body now that the agents were gone, and Jonathan faced him again. Jonathan dropped the gun, causing another bullet to fire. However, it would hit the wall once more. And now Jonathan was utterly defenseless, not that he stood much of a chance anyway.

Jonathan stammered while stepping back. “What...you’re no ordinary warlock.”

Seth nodded, and his eyes remained black. “There is nothing ordinary about me. Not like you, Jonathan.” He flicked his wrist. A purple fireball manifested. “You’re sad because your parents died. You foolishly believed that mermaids killed your parents when in truth, the oh so obvious truth is that the mermaids tried to save those drowning idiots. Which means your crusade is one built on lies.”

Seth got closer until he had Jonathan pinned against a wall. “You do not know the true meaning of loss, not like I do. The Charmed Ones took my family from me. I will have that vengeance.” Seth laughed as he soaked in the terror that pulsated from Jonathan’s shuddering body. “You were never in control, little man. You, and this pathetic Agency, are nothing but ants. And it’s time for the ants to burn.”

“No!” Jonathan screamed.

However, Seth showed no hesitation. He tossed the fireball at Jonathan, killing Jonathan instantly. The fireball ripped through Jonathan’s chest, leaving a corpse on the ground.

Seth kicked over Jonathan’s body. He reached for an ID card from the pocket and smiled. “I will get something useful out of you. All to help me avenge my family.” Seth went over to Jonathan’s office to claim the one thing he did want from the Agency. The wonderful gift of information.

*~*

In the aftermath of defeating Seth and the Agency, Erotia could know peace once more. Wyatt, Chris, and Paige showed some kindness to the unconscious agents by orbing them to the nearest town. Afterward, Apollo had Erotia teleport to the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, far away from any watching eyes.

Now, they could begin the next part of their plan.

Joey recouped enough of his energy after losing Apollo’s powers. He carried the Olympians’ medallions, which he handed to Apollo. “This might hurt. You know that, right?” 

Apollo nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve endured worse.”

“Okay.” 

Joey would step between Phoebe and Paige. Wyatt, Piper, and Chris would be across from them as they stood in a circle around Apollo. They decided that the only way to properly secure Erotia from Seth, the Agency, and others of ill intent was to restore Apollo to full power. Without the option of raising the number of worshippers, they would turn to the Power of Three.

Building upon Apollo’s old plan of infusing the medallion with the Power of Three, they would use the Power of Three from two generations to unite Apollo and the medallion. That way, Apollo could have all his old power as well as a power boost from the Power of Three itself. Apollo's strength would no longer be bound by his worshippers; he could sustain himself even without human worship with a little help. They would lock hands while Bianca led Hank and PJ out of the room since they didn’t know what type of mystical backlash to expect.

They took a deep breath.

“ _We call the Power of Three_ ,” they recited. “ _Two generations lighted_. _Restore this God by our decree_. _Caretaker of Erotia and Medallion of Olympus become united_.” 

A radiant light consumed Apollo, which would leave everyone else momentarily blind. The light eventually passed, and they would see Apollo standing. He projected a soothing glow, and his eyes appeared almost like they were on fire as he gave such an intense stare. The spell would also cause his shirt to burn away, and they would see the lightning bolt over his heart. 

Apollo noticed it too and laughed. “I was always meant to inherit Olympus from my father. I supposed it was more symbolic than literal.” Apollo smiled. He gazed at everyone while retracting his godly aura so as not to cause them unnecessary pain. “You have my thanks, Halliwell family. You have done a great service not just to me but to magic itself.”

Apollo turned to Joey, holding his hand out once more. “Joseph. May we speak in private, once more?” Joey nodded and took Apollo’s hand. Apollo would pull Joey close to his chest before glancing at everyone else. “Please, bring everyone back to Erotia. They will be safe here again. Joey and I shall return momentarily.

Before anyone could disagree, Apollo took Joey in a flash of golden light.

In an instant, Apollo teleported them across the world. They appeared near the ruins of an ancient temple that was mostly demolished from warfare and lack of upkeep, allowing nature to reclaim the lands. Vines covered much of the temple with countless hyacinths in full bloom.

Joey stumbled as he adjusted from the continental teleportation. “Where are we?”

“On a Grecian island. This was once a temple dedicated to my divinity.” Apollo gestured towards the entrance of the temple. Joey saw plenty of rubles but not a broken status of a man with only part of the man’s torso and leg still intact. “It felt during the third century. Now, it is a tomb.”

“For?” Joey gulped. “This isn’t your way of saying that you no longer accept my rejection of immortality, is it?”

Apollo shook his head. “No. I respect your decision and knew you would make that choice.” He sighed. He began to approach the temple with Joey following out of instinct. “Part of me hoped you would reject your destiny. So that I might spare you from the future that the Angels of Destiny wrote for you and your family.”

Joey stopped. “You know our futures?”

“I am God of Prophecies, remember? That is partly why we were so drawn to each other.” Apollo pushed some of the rubble aside without any effort. He groaned as he reached into the wreckage. “I’ve seen enough of your future, Joey, to know of the dangers you must face. The Hellfire Club is not to be underestimated. And this warlock...Seth, he worries me. I have not met one with rage like him in centuries.”

Joey rushed over to Apollo. He kept enough distance as Apollo continued to retrieve whatever was buried in the rubble. “Does that mean you can tell me what happens? My dead ex-boyfriend, Mark, visited me in my sleep. He gave me a confusing vision. Can you tell me what it all means?”

“No. I cannot.” Apollo stood. He had in his hand an elegant silver bow that glowed like a rainbow when sunlight touched it. Along the arcs, suns were carved onto the metal. And directly above the handle was the symbol of Olympus, the Omega. “I fear that these futures are too delicate; the future is not set yet. Therefore, if I share too much, I may prevent the futures where you are victorious and cause a worse outcome to occur then those that I’ve seen.”

Apollo presented Joey the bow. “But I can offer this much. You will face great dangers, Joey. Dangers that will test you and your brothers to your limits. So, I give you my old bow. Forged by Hephestus. You can create an infinite supply of arrows from your magic, and this bow, being that it was forged by a God, for a God, it, therefore, will allow you to _slay_ a God!”

Joey cautiously accepted the bow. It felt far lighter than he expected, way more so than Excalibur. However, he figured it had more to deal with Apollo making him the bow’s new master instead of temporarily using Excalibur as he did against the Hellfire Club and Asmodeus. “Thank you, Apollo. This is a wonderful gift.”

Apollo smiled. He stepped closer, placing his hands on Joey’s cheeks. He slowly brought their faces together. “You are welcome,” he whispered. “The bow is more than a weapon. It will signify the bond that you and I share. Even if we must go our lives without each other, so long as you hold that bow, a part of us will remain together.”

Apollo kissed Joey, a final kiss that they would remember. Joey would accept the kiss as a symbol of knowing what true passion looked like, while the kiss for Apollo meant that he would carry a memory of honest love. They would treasure this brief time that they share forever.

Once more, a golden flash of light would wash over them as Apollo brought Joey back to Erotia so that he could return home with his family.

*~*

Things returned to normal, at least as normal as expected, in San Francisco. 

Joey entered Big Nicks, a club in the Castro. He was a bit uneasy but knew that he couldn’t give up on the plan now. Not after everything he learned at Erotia and the brief fling he experienced with Apollo. Although, he did wish he had a bit of Ambrosia for courage.

It appeared too early for the club’s business hours. The staff focused on cleaning the club and setting up the bar before the few early birds got there, then the chaos of a Saturday night would take root.

A dark-skinned young man in a Henley shirt appeared from the front entrance, carrying a box of bottles. He paused for a second to stare at Joey. “Uh. You’re a bit early, twink. The sugar daddies don’t show up for another two hours.”

Joey followed the young man as he went to the bar to drop off the box. “I’m not here for that. I saw your ad online. I’m here to apply for the go-go dancer job.”

The young man glanced at Joey. He shrugged. “Okay. The pervs here would think you’re cute enough.” He stepped away from the bar. “I’ll get the manager.” 

Joey stayed by the bar. He reached for the bracelet that Mark gave him years ago and the silver chain that Rahul gave him before leaving for Princeton. It felt weird to think about his ex-boyfriends now, but then he recalled why he even decided to apply for this job. Apollo showed Joey that he wanted to dance, so he might as well get paid for it. Joey smirked as he thought about how much about himself that he learned from Mark, Rahul, and Apollo. 

Joey shook his head. He wondered what his next love would teach him.

The young man returned with a middle-aged woman. She had her dark hair tied into a ponytail and looked exhausted, which became clearer when Joey heard her barking orders at some of the guys. “Don’t forget to clean underneath the tables. You, homos, leave your jizz everywhere.” She turned back to face Joey. “I’m Martha. So you want to be a dancer?”

“Yes,” said Joey. 

“Okay. And do you have any experience with club work?”

“Not directly, but my mom used to own a club. P3.”

Martha raised her eyebrows. “P3. I loved that place when I was in college.” She gestured towards the stage. She took out her phone and hit shuffle on her music player to set the atmosphere. “Show me your moves. Um…”

Joey climbed onto the stage without trouble and started to sway to the music. “Joey.” He moved with a bit more motivation than most go-go dancers he saw, but he also wasn’t exhausted from years of work as them. He followed along to the beat, moving his hips, flashing a little skin by lifting his shirt, and making sure he had showed off his ass.

Martha would cut the music once the song ended. She glanced at the young man next to her and a few of her other employees who stopped long enough to catch part of the show. “Alright, you’re hired, Joey. You good to start tonight? We really need dancers.”

“Sure. But...do I need to wear anything special?”

Martha nodded. “We’ll get you something cute to wear from Rexxxie’s. I’ll cover the cost. Come with me so I can break everything down to you.”

Joey climbed down the stage to follow Martha into her office. He passed the young man in the Henley shirt who winked and introduced himself as Craig. Joey smirked and whispered his name before catching up with Martha so that he could have his quick orientation session before the club opened tonight.

Joey would make Apollo and Erotia proud. Even as he would fulfill his Charmed duties, Joey would do his best to live for himself too and follow his heart's desires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sniffles) While Joey and Apollo's love could not be, it was a lovely one. But we also get some hints of things to come like Seth eventually making a comeback. Especially as someone with a grudge against Piper, Phoebe, and Paige or Prue. Who are his parents? He is clearly no ordinary warlock. And we might find out soon.
> 
> In the next chapter, the Hellfire Club makes their return as they started the next phase of their evil schemes. And I will leave it there so as not to risk spoiling things! These next three chapters will be epic ones like I'm talking a three-part season finale epic!


	22. Firstborn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! I'm doing well. Thanks for asking. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter. It's part one of a three-part finale of this "season." I don't want to say much else otherwise I'll risk spoiling everything.
> 
> Don't forget to leave your kudos and comments!

As the Winter Solstice rapidly approached, Joey tugged on the bowstring of his red recurve bow. He brought the arrow close in while he finished setting his aim. He released the arrow, allowing it to sail across the archery field until it struck the target. The arrow struck the board, but it was nowhere close to the bullseye. 

Joey bit his lip. “Damn.”

“You’re getting there.” Martha, his new boss, steadied her bow. She fired her arrow and made it to the bullseye without the slightest struggle. “You’re not too bad for someone that only started a few weeks ago. I think you’re lying about not practicing before.”

Martha somewhat figured out the truth, not that Joey would let that slide. Joey spent some time practicing with Apollo’s bow, but he couldn’t afford to rely on a magic bow to do all the work for him. He wanted to know how to use a bow properly, and Martha’s been going to the archery range on her days off from Big Nicks for years, so he took it as his perfect chance to learn from someone expereinced.

Joey grabbed another arrow from his quiver. “I had a toy bow as a kid. But I never did anything serious like this, though. You really think I’m getting better?”

“I’d say so.” Martha grabbed another arrow too. “Go first. I want to see if you make it.”

“Okay.” Joey steadied himself, following Martha’s lessons. He took a moment to concentrate before firing the arrow and made it closer to the bullseye this time. 

Martha nodded. “Better.”

They kept practicing for another hour before their time ran out. They cleaned up their mess and went to the parking lot. Martha mentioned the Christmas Eve party at the club, which Joey signed on to work that shift and how he’d need to wear green for his sexy elf costume. 

“See you Thursday.” Martha unlocked her car door. 

“Bye.” Joey went to his car but climbed into the backseat. Upfront, Chris was at the wheel with Bianca on the passenger seat. They borrowed his car for an overnight trip to the Wine Country since they didn’t want to have a nice normal trip free of magic.

Joey tossed his equipment and buckled up. “So how was it? Did you bring me back anything?”

Bianca passed a bottle of wine, prompting Joey to squeal. “We got another bottle for your folks, so you don’t need to worry about sharing.”

“Like I was going to do that.”

Chris laughed while he pulled out of the parking lot. “Easy there, Hawkeye. The last thing we need is you to get drunk and shoot someone with an arrow.” 

Joey huffed. “I’m not that messy drunk.”

“You are.” Bianca looked over her shoulder. “Did you forget how we covered for you back on Halloween?”

“I thought we agreed never to talk about Halloween?” 

Chris braked at the stop sign. “Don’t get messy again, and it can stay your shameful secret.”

*~*

The apartment got a little crowded. For the first time in ages, Dying Liberty had a bit of a comeback as they got together to play. Wyatt strummed his guitar to shake the cobwebs off from his fingers. 

Wyatt glanced over his shoulder, spotting Gordon as he finished setting up the drumset. Wyatt grinned. “It’s good to see you, bro. I miss you. Your Insta is the only reason that we know you’re still alive.” 

Gordon fixed his crash cymbal. There was a brief smile that crossed Gordon’s face and a glimmer in his eyes. “Sorry for bailing. After moving back in with the folks, it felt like a step backward. I retreated into myself.”

“Understandable. Just don’t take so long to come back around.” 

“Promise.”

Steve whistled while he returned from the bathroom and grabbed his guitar. “Alright, bitches! Let’s get to playing!”

“Hell yeah!” Vinny appeared from the kitchen after finishing a tequila shot. He went for his bass and got into position.

They began to play, focusing on one of their older songs. They hadn’t played in a while, and they had no intention of being a real band again, but it felt good coming together. Their performance showed clear signs of being rusty since they were so out of practice, but it wasn’t as horrible as they expected too.

They kept playing for another hour before calling it quits for now. 

Wyatt offered to get them celebratory drinks when they heard a knock at the front door. Wyatt got the door and found a teary-eyed Veronica on the other side. 

“Babe?” Wyatt frowned. “What’s going on?”

Veronica shook her head. Her hands fidgeted with her shirt as she tried to hold it. “We need to talk. In private.”

Wyatt nodded. He took Veronica’s hand and led her into his bedroom, while Vinny got the drinks instead. He closed the door behind them to protect their privacy since something so clearly bothered Veronica. Numerous thoughts ran across his head from a demon attack or her family harassing her.

They sat on the edge of his bed. 

“Are you okay?” asked Wyatt. “Is it your family? Are your parents here?”

“No. It has nothing to do with them.” Veronica sighed and grabbed Wyatt’s hand. “Um...I. I’m _late_.”

Wyatt’s eyes widened as he understood the meaning. “Oh.”

“I already took a test too. And, I’m一”

“Pregnant?” finished Wyatt.

Veronica nodded. “I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant!” Steve, Vinny, and Gordon’s voices boomed from outside the door. 

Wyatt jumped from his bed. He opened the door to find his friends scattering as they were clearly listening in on the conversation. Steve and Vinny tried to play it cool, while Gordon had a somewhat sad look on his face. However, Wyatt was too angry at them and gave them a death stare to notice. He slammed the door on them, then went back to Veronica.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Wyatt took a deep breath. He grabbed her hand. He wanted to show his support even as every fiber of his being panicked. “Did you make a choice yet? To have it? Or not?” He’d almost rather face Christy without his power or Evil Wyatt again instead of face his current situation. 

Veronica reached for his hand again. She squeezed it tight. “I want to have it. And I understand if一”

“I’ll be here,” Wyatt spoke without hesitating. “I’m scared...but I’ll step up for you. And the baby.”

Veronica smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Thank goodness. I was afraid you’d bail.”

“That’s not the type of guy that I am.” Wyatt wrapped his arm around Veronica, holding her closer. He didn’t know what to do or what to say, but he would try his best. It’s all that he could manage to do.

Wyatt gulped. He couldn’t believe that he was going to become a dad.

*~*

Meanwhile, evil stirred. 

The Hellfire Club assembled at their mansion. The full moon peeked from the clouds and reflected from the pool across from the table. They assembled with the spectral form of Azazel present too as they spoke of their plans.

Azazel’s wispy form hovered over his chair. “ _Are we any closer to uncovering what happened to my body? I can no longer tolerate this pitiful state._ ”

“Unfortunately, no, brother,” said Zagon. “It appears that what the Source did to you wasn’t properly recorded. Lamia and I searched his archives.”

Lamia clacked her nails over the table. She sighed. “It is so depressing. My little minions spend hours searching for us and found bupkis. Unless anyone wishes to release the Leviathan. But not even we’re that stupid.” 

Abigor huffed and slammed his fists. “Shameful! And Zurie’s visions have done us no good, while our enemies grow in strength. The Charmed Ones empowered the God Apollo, and he rewarded Joseph a weapon that could kill even us.” 

“You speak as though it is my fault.” Zurie glared at Abigor. “My visions are quite powerful, brother, but even I cannot see all. Maybe you should learn some respect!”

Tensions flared amongst the Hellfire Club. A moment later and a brawl would’ve broken out had an infernal intervention hadn’t occurred. 

As the arguing continued, they got interrupted by grunting. They looked towards the hallway to find Nomed flying into their war room. Something powerful struck Nomed with enough force that he landed on the table and slipped to a semi-conscious state. It sparked them to draw weapons, while Azazel floated as a menacing presence.

Heels clicking across the marble floors created an echo. “Enough fighting, brothers and sisters of evil! This is getting us nowhere.” Stepping from the shadows came Seth; the high heels of his boots made the clicking even louder from proximity. 

Seth had his arms crossed over his silky red shirt that hung loose against his chest, the buttons slightly undone to expose his well-defined chest and chest hairs. His leather pants hugging every inch of his body, exposing his mighty toned legs. “Well, this is far nicer of an evil lair then I pictured. I’m glad that some demons are starting to appreciate the wonder of the mortal plane.”

Abigor raised Soulbane. “You dare violate our sanctuary, warlock?”

Seth poked at the sword’s tip and smirked. “I do.” He blew a kiss at Abigor before walking to steal Azazel’s seat as Azazel continued to float. “Not so tough without a body.”

The red eyes from the dark mist deepened. “ _It is unwise to insult me, boy. I can still vanquish you._ ”

“Then, you’d lose everything.” Seth reached across the table to steal Zagon’s wine glass, earning him a nasty glare. “After all, I know what happened to your body.”

“How would you know anything?” asked Zagon.

Lamia nodded. “Yes. We found nothing from the Source’s archives.” 

Seth sipped the glass then tossed it. The liquid stained the floor as the glass shattered, causing Nomed to awaken. Nomed rolled from the table and fell to Seth’s amusement. “That is because the Source didn’t record what happened.” Seth pointed at Azazel. “After banishing your soul, the Source outsourced your body’s punishment. I learned of what happened from some texts that demons stole after Magic School’s fall.”

“ _Magic School_?” Azazel’s speech exposed his confusion.

“It’s a school for good little witches,” said Seth. “Created by the Elders. You remember them. And the Source offered your body to them.”

“The Elders!” Zurie shook her head. “That is why I couldn’t see the truth. The Elders exist beyond my foresight.”

Azazel growled. “ _Curse the Elders! I will kill them all!_ ”

Seth huffed. “Good luck with that. It still won’t help you recover your body.” He grabbed the wine bottle itself. He took a lengthy swig since he had no problem making an ass of himself before the Hellfire Club, not while riding on the arrogant high of surviving his fight against the Charmed Ones. “The Elders, themselves, didn’t punish you. They also had someone else do the deed.”

“Who?” asked everyone.

Seth shook his head. “That will cost you.” He pointed at the chair. “I want a seat on the Inner Court.”

“No!” said Abigor. 

“Yes.” Seth crossed his arms. “I have a grudge against the Charmed Ones. The sisters killed my parents, and I will avenge them. The resources of the Hellfire Club will help me. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to have a warlock-demon hybrid in the club.”

Zurie squinted her eyes. She attempted to use her visions to identify Seth, but powerful magic blocked her sight. “I cannot see you either.” She crossed her arms. The others expressed their concern of having someone like Seth amongst them, violating their space, but Zurie knew better. She would relent. “If you can block yourself from my sight, then that means you’re too much of a threat to ignore. It is wiser to keep you close. For now.”

Seth smirked. “And? Is that a yes or no?”

Azazel growled while he floated to Seth’s face. “ _You will have a seat. Now, tell me what happened to my body?_ ”

Seth took another swig before tossing the bottle. He leaned closer, demonstrating that he wasn’t afraid of Azazel or anyone else. “What do you know of the _Goddess_?”

“ _More specific, boy._ ”

“You’re not fun, Azzy.” Seth clicked his tongue. “Does the name Neena ring a bell?”

Azazel hissed once more. “ _Her! She has my body?_ ”

“Has is a bit of a stretch, but Neena did something to it. Maybe she fed it to children before eating them. Or she banished it to another dimension. Or something equally gruesome. You cannot underestimate the Prime Witch’s rage.”

“ _Indeed._ ” Azazel’s spectral form turned to his siblings and Nomed. “ _We direct our resources to track Neena. I want her found before the Winter Solstice!_ ”

*~*

The news echoed across Wyatt’s brain, which kept him from getting any sleep. It also meant he had a painfully long day at work before he could finally go to the manor for the solstice dinner. The good bit was that he got out of work a little earlier for the holiday, but he’d still have to play it cool somehow. And all without Veronica since she was doing her nursing hours at the hospital tonight.

Wyatt orbed into the manor and got bombarded with wonderful scents. He could smell Piper’s roast and fresh bread. At least he could enjoy the feast. As Wyatt approached the kitchen, a doorway to Magic School manifested near the staircase. It opened with Chris and Leo stepping out.

“You know I could’ve orbed you home.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” asked Leo as he undid his tie. “Oh! Hey, Wyatt.”

Wyatt smirked. “Hey, dad.”

Chris crossed his arms. “Hi to you too, jerk.” Chris squinted his eyes. He could see Wyatt’s under eyes bags and how slouchy he looked. “What’s going on with you? You look like shit.”

“Chris.” Leo smacked Chris’s arm.

“He does!”

“What’s happening? Everyone’s not here yet, right? We’re still cooking!” Piper stepped out from the kitchen with Bianca following since she was assisting in the cooking.

Wyatt gulped. He could always rely on Chris noticing too much and snitching. He could lie, but there wasn’t much of a reason for him to do that since everyone would find out sooner or later. Wyatt closed his eyes. His hands slid into his pockets. “Um...so...Veronica. Uh.”

Bianca tilted her head. “Did you break up?”

“No.” Wyatt sighed. “She’s pregnant. And keeping it.”

A chorus of “Oh my god” echoed across the walls. Leo and Piper appeared horrified, Bianca looked shocked, and Chris stifled his laugh. They glanced at each other before looking back at Wyatt, noticing how dead serious that he appeared. It became clear that Wyatt wasn’t joking, and he was indeed going to become a father.

“Oh my god,” whispered Piper.

Leo patted Wyatt’s shoulder. He tried to smile, but it wasn’t hard to see that he appeared equally terrified at the thought of Wyatt becoming a parent. “Congratulations,” he said, trying to sound as supportive as possible.

“Thanks, dad,” whispered Wyatt. 

Chris scratched his nose. “Babe. Now might be a good time to open the bottle.” 

“Oh yeah.” Bianca went to the kitchen to grab the wine. “This is going to be an interesting dinner.”

Wyatt sighed. “Make mine a double, please. Fuck! I’m going to be a dad!”

Chris patted Wyatt’s back. “You’ll do great. You helped raise Joey, and he’s not a complete disaster.” Chris grinned, while Leo shrugged.

“And where is that punk? Why isn’t he here making fun of me?”

*~*

Across town, Joey stood next to Brody on the grounds where Erotia once stood. Now, all that remained was an empty lot that showed no signs of any building occupying the space for years. It made Joey curious if the locals even knew if Erotia was once here or if somehow Erotia could work mortals’ memories to hide its presence further. 

Joey tugged on his jacket. He asked Brody to bring him here since they had to run errands for the dinner. It was a quick distraction, one that he had to get over before Piper started blowing up his phone. 

“Do you know where he is now?” asked Joey.

Brody wore a light-jacket too but being dead, the cold didn’t bother him. He shrugged. “I haven’t actively kept track of Apollo, but last I checked, Erotia is somewhere outside of Moscow.”

Joey nodded. “So far.” He almost regretted not taking Apollo up on the offer of immortality. However, he had to remind himself that he couldn’t abandon his duty as a Charmed One. There were so many people out there that would need his help as Apollo and the residents of Erotia did. He couldn’t abandon them to live happily ever after, at least not until the Hellfire Club was stopped, and they prevented the rise of another Source.

Joey turned to Brody. “I guess we should head back. Mom will blow us both up if we’re late.”

Brody agreed. They grabbed the grocery bags with Brody leading them into an alleyway so that they could orb without risk of exposure.

However, before they got too far, they crossed paths with a dark-skinned young woman in a maroon trench coat. Her dark curls bounced against her shoulders, while her heels clicked against the sidewalk. She looked positively stunning. Her statuesque body could make even a gay boy like Joey turned his head as she projected a regal air that commanded attention. She didn’t appear even to notice them but still managed to bump shoulders with Joey.

A psychic jolt struck Joey, causing him to close his eyes. He had a premonition of this woman and what he saw frightened him. It wasn’t an ordinary demon attack that befell the woman. He saw Abigor and Zagon going after her for some unknown reason.

When the premonition ended, Joey couldn’t find any trace of the woman. 

“Where is she?” asked Joey.

Brody stopped mid-walk. “She? She who?”

“The woman in the trench coat!” Joey looked around but saw no one on the street. Everything seemed eerily quiet, even on such a gorgeous day. “Was she really here?”

Brody shook his head. “There wasn’t a woman here. Did you see something?” 

“A premonition. The Hellfire Club is going after the woman I saw! We need to get back to the manor now!” Joey grabbed Brody’s arm, and Brody immediately orbed them home. 

*~*

Meanwhile, more of the family started crowding the manor as everyone got out of work, and Chris orbed back home with Victor. The news of Veronica’s pregnancy spread like wildfire, and it got a mix of concerned looks and congratulations for Wyatt. All of it ended up leaving Wyatt more of an anxious mess than before. 

Wyatt sat at the garden, a beer bottle dangling from his fingers. He embraced the chilly wind and scratched his head. He wasn’t questioning how Veronica got pregnant since he had enough common sense to know that birth control pills and condoms didn’t always work. Since he had sex with so many women on and off camera, he was grateful that he made it this long without a pregnancy scare. His thoughts were too wound up on what becoming a parent would even mean. 

Did he need to find a new job? Did he need to move out of his current place? Should he marry Veronica!

Wyatt chugged half his beer.

“Long day?” Victor’s voice echoed over Wyatt’s shoulder. Wyatt stopped drinking to notice Victor taking a seat beside him.

Victor had a glass of wine instead of beer. He couldn’t drink like he used to, but his doctor did allow him a glass of wine on special occasions. He clinks glasses with Wyatt. “Congrats, future dad.”

“Thanks, gramps.” Wyatt sipped his beer. The booze didn’t really affect him since his magical blood put up an excellent resistance. “Were you this scared? I can’t exactly turn to my dad for help since I was a planned baby.”

Victor laughed. “Don’t forget that your brothers were surprises.” Victor sipped his wine. “To your question, yes. I was terrified. Patty and I did not plan on getting pregnant. We weren’t shocked when it happened, but we weren’t trying to get pregnant either.”

“Okay. So I’m not a weirdo for being this scared. Damn. We haven’t even gone to the doctor yet to confirm. And here I am freaking out that I’m going to become the worst father ever!”

“You’ll do good, Wyatt. You’re too good of a kid to turn out a bad dad.” Victor squeezed Wyatt’s shoulder. “That title goes to me.”

“Gramps.”

Victor shook his head. “It’s okay, Wyatt. I didn’t do right by your mom and aunts. I didn’t fight to stay part of their lives and gave up instead of standing up to Penny. That’s on me. And it’s my biggest regret in life.” He smiled. “That’s why I busted my ass to be part of your lives. I failed my daughters and lost years of their lives, but I wouldn’t make that same mistake with my grandchildren.”

Victor looked Wyatt dead in the eyes. He raised his glass, pointing a finger too. “Don’t make that same mistake, Wyatt. No matter what happens between you and Veronica, or if her family somehow gets in the way, you fight to stay part of your child’s life. Don’t walk out on that kid. You’ll regret it forever.”

Wyatt nodded. “I won’t, gramps.”

They clank glasses once more and took another sip. They started to make their way back inside as it began to get a little chillier when Joey and Chris came running outside.

Joey had Apollo’s bow with him, signaling Wyatt that they had trouble. “The Hellfire Club is making a move on a woman. We need to hurry.”

“Shit!” Wyatt passed his beer to Victor. He ran over to them. “Where at?”

“Downtown.” Joey grabbed onto Wyatt’s hand. “So move it, baby daddy!”

Wyatt glared at Joey. “You heard.”

Joey nodded. “Congratulations on forgetting to pullー”

Chris coughed. “Make jokes later. We have an innocent to save.” He grabbed onto Wyatt’s shoulder so that they could orb together. Joey muttered the roof of a building from his premonition, which Wyatt knew. 

“Good luck, boys!” said Victor.

The light-blue orbs gathered as they left the manor to rescue the young woman from Joey’s vision.

*~*

The dark-skinned young woman sat cross-legged on a rooftop. The building was high enough that she could see most of downtown from there, which also afforded her great privacy. Nobody could disturb her meditation as she communed with the mystical energies that crossed throughout the city. However, a spike in demonic energy would still find its way to interrupt her meditation.

Abigor and Zagon appeared on the rooftop with Seth too. Abigor drew Soulbane as he made the first few steps. 

“Damn!” The woman opened her brown eyes. She wiggled her fingers while she twisted her head to face them. “I knew you’d come. Your presence here bothers me. So do go away before I’m forced to kill you.”

Seth chuckled. “You are an arrogant one, Ms. Neena. And a difficult one to find.” He flicked his wrist to conjure a purple fireball. “Now, tell us what you did to Azazel’s body. I have a position of power to cash in on, and those two want to restore their brother.”

Neena glared and clenched her fists. She could see now that things were different than she first expected. “I know who you are, little boy. The power you seek will never become yours. I suggest you abandon this quest before it destroys you like your father.”

“Wrong answer.” Seth tossed the fireball.

Neena raised her hand. A dark-blue aura surrounded the purple fireball, causing it to vanish in smoke as she negated his attack.

Abigor laughed. “This got interesting.” He moved to slash Neena, while Zagon removed a metal bracelet to transform it into a whip. Zagon cracked the whip to ensnare it around Neena’s arm so that Abigor could stab Neena.

As the whip ensnared Neena’s arm, dozens of light-blue orbs appeared. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey came in at the perfect moment to catch Abigor in action. Joey pulled the bowstring to create a golden arrow of magical energy that he fired. The arrow struck Soulbane, knocking it from Abigor’s hand, which gave Neena the chance to burn with enough heat to break the whip.

Neena glanced at them. “Thank you, Charmed Ones. I knew that I could count on you.”

Joey squinted his eyes as he lowered the bow. “You purposely sent me a premonition? How? Who are you?”

“Neena!" said Seth. "Your _real_ Mother.” Seth conjured another fireball that he flung at them only for Chris to blast it with a surge of electricity.

Abigor flicked his wrist to summon Soulbane back to him. He lunged after them, while Wyatt summoned Excalibur to block the attack. The swords collided once more, creating dozens of sparks that danced across the rooftop.

Abigor smirked. “So this is the power of Excalibur’s chosen wielder. Finally, a challenge.”

Wyatt grunted while he struggled against Abigor’s strength. “You’ll regret asking for one!” He shoved Abigor as hard as he could before swinging Excalibur to cut Abigor’s chest only to miss.

Zagon grabbed a pair of knives from his pockets. He attacked, causing Chris to repel Zagon’s attack with telekinetic blasts as he waved his hand. “You won’t stop us from restoring Azazel! Our family will be whole soon enough!”

“Fuck your family!” said Chris. “You’re ruining my solstice dinner.”

Meanwhile, Joey rushed to Neena’s defense before Seth could catch up. He fired an arrow at Seth, but Seth blinked to avoid instant death. Seth reappeared and prepared to fling another fireball when Neena countered.

Sparks of green energy gathered around Neena’s hand. She unleashed the energy, which transformed itself into a vortex behind Seth. Seth screamed as the vortex pulled him inside, screaming, while Neena created two more vortexes to banish Abigor and Zagon.

The battle ended, but it left them far more confused as they turned to Neena.

However, Neena didn’t bother to pay them any attention. She tugged on her trenchcoat and started to make her way to the door. “Well, thank you, boys. A pleasure meeting you.”

“Wait!” said Joey. “What if they come back?”

Chris nodded. “And why does the Hellfire Club even want you?”

Neena grabbed the door handle and smirked. “As the boy said, I’m your _real_ mother.” She stepped inside. Wyatt attempted to stop her, but she vanished by the time he reached the door.

Wyatt shook his head as he looked into the dark empty staircase. “This is weird. I think we need to talk to the Elders.”

*~*

After returning to the manor, the brothers filled everyone in on what happened with Neena as they asked Brody to get the Elder’s help. Brody left for the Heavens while giving the brothers the chance to enjoy the solstice feast. They barely had enough time to eat a plate before Brody returned with an elderly looking Elder. The Elder struggled to move as he physically appeared older than Victor.

Brody had his hands on the Elder, guiding the Elder into the sunroom. The brothers abandoned their plates, while Leo stood wide-eyed.

Leo bowed slightly. “Elder Kamdyn.” Everyone appeared surprised in how formal Leo treated this Elder, unlike all the other Elders. Leo noticed the confusion. “This is Elder Kamdyn. He is the oldest living Elder, earning his position during the reign of Justinian I of the Roman Empire.”

“Wow.” Wyatt crossed his arms. “So he’s the Elder of Elders. Does this mean he can help us with the Hellfire Club, Seth, and identifying this Neena woman?”

Leo shrugged. “I don’t see how. Elder Kamdyn took a vow of silence during the French Revolution.”

Elder Kamdyn took a deep breath before opening his mouth. “I am no longer silent.” Elder Kamdyn’s voice cracked as bright blue orbs gathered around his throat. He took another breath as he reclaimed his voice. “My silence came from my age. The oldest living Elder is to take a vow of silence. To hide a secret that first Elders wanted hidden; their greatest shame.”

Piper snorted and rolled her eyes. “Of course, the Elders kept a secret.” She bit her lip as she noticed Leo send a look. 

Elder Kamdyn smiled as he accepted Piper’s scorn. He turned to the brothers so that he could give them the help that they desperately needed. “The truth involves Azazel. He is no ordinary demon.” Kamdyn’s voice grew more assertive. “He served as the Source of All Evil’s left-hand before betraying the Source in a bid to seize power. Azazel sought to remake the Underworld, to lead demonkind without the need of The Source.”

“Which pissed the Source off,” said Joey. “That’s how his soul ended up at the Byzantia Nexus.”

Elder Kamdyn nodded. “As for his body, the Source gave him to us for punishment.”

Chris squinted his eyes. “Why? Why would the Source offer a demon to the Elders?”

“Because...Azazel wasn’t born a demon.” Elder Kamdyn shook his head. “Azazel, he was amongst the first generation of Elders. However, Azazel sought to claim the Heavens and would betray the Elders, prompting them to cast him out and strip him of his wings, turning him mortal. Azazel would then offer his soul to the Source, who turned him into a demon.”

“Fuck!” Chris turned to Leo. “Good thing that didn’t happen to you when you gave up your wings.” Leo nodded. Chris pointed at Elder Kamdyn. “What does that have to do with Neena, though? Seth called her our ‘true mother’.”

Joey nodded. “I saw her earlier today, but Brody didn’t. And she somehow sent me a premonition. How could a witch do that?”

“Neena is no ordinary witch either,” said Elder Kamdyn. “Neena...she is the First Witch. An immortal. The origin point for all witches’ powers.”

The manor fell silent. They turned to each other, struggling to process such revelations. Joey stuttered as it dawned on him how she could keep herself hidden from Brody, give him a premonition, and fend off the Hellfire Club and Seth alone.

Elder Kamdyn continued. “We asked Neena to assist in destroying Azazel’s body, for she holds no connection to Azazel, unlike us, Elders. It is her magic that destroyed him, but it is also her magic that will allow him to return.”

Wyatt crossed his arms. “That’s why the Hellfire Club is after her. And that’s why we need to help her before the Hellfire Club finds her again!”

Elder Kamdyn nodded. “Protect Neena. Stop Azazel’s return, or else he’ll destroy all of good magic.” Elder Kamdyn closed his eyes. He projected his mind, violating a sacred trust so to save the world. “Neena hates us for the sins we committed against her family, and so she kept herself hidden. It will take all my power to find her location and pass the knowledge onto you.”

Elder Kamdyn’s body began to crumble into light-blue orbs. Before anyone could protest, he vanished with the orbs passing to the brothers. Wyatt and Chris felt light-headed as Elder Kamdyn projected the knowledge of Neena’s location to their minds. Joey felt his stomach sink; while he didn’t know Neena’s location, his gut told him that she was in danger. He called Apollo’s bow to his hand; it appeared in a flash of yellow light. He grabbed onto Wyatt’s arm once more as they orbed out of the manor before anyone could stop them.

*~*

An explosion rippled across the condemned bathhouse. Zagon, Nomed, and Seth flew, crashing into mold-covered showers. Opposite of them, Neena stood with her hand burning from dark-blue magic as she unleashed a potent energy blast to neutralize them. Neena looked to see Zurie, Lamia, and Abigor attempting to surround her, seeking to claim an upper hand. 

Neena undid her trenchcoat. She tossed it to the ground and was left standing in a black corset and matching skirt. She welcomed them to attack, while not hesitating to unleash her power.

Abigor slashed at Neena, but she phased from his path. Her body solidified once more as she struck him in the chest. Meanwhile, Lamia transformed into a bat and attempted to bite Neena, but Neena would manipulate time. Neena’s magic reversed Lamia’s transformation and went so far as pushing Lamia to the ground. Zurie lunged after Neena with her dagger. Neena dodged before striking Zurie, using a telekinetic blast.

The assault failed the Hellfire Club and Seth. Neena proved far too powerful that not even sheer numbers would prove effective enough of a means to defeat her.

Neena’s heels clicked against the tiled floor while she glared at her injured foes. “You disturb my rituals, all to revive a traitor. Are you so pathetic that you truly think you’d need that oathbreaker? Cut your losses and move on. You will never restore Azazel.”

A dark shadow manifested behind Neena. Azazel’s spectral hand grabbed onto Neena’s wrist, surprising even her as she hadn’t sensed his presence until now. “ _I am almost there, Neena,_ ” hissed Azazel. “ _You cannot stop my return._ ”

Neena growled. “Arrogant demon. It is that pride that caused your fall!”

“ _I will not make that same mistake thrice._ ” Azazel shoved Neena. 

Neena nearly fell into the empty pool but managed to keep herself upright. However, at that second, a purple fireball nearly struck her chest. She narrowly managed to block it by flicking her fingers to freeze the fireball in midair. 

Seth emerged from the hole in the wall with Zagon and Nomed. Seth conjured another fireball and attempted to strike again when light-blue orbs appeared.

Wyatt, Chris, and Joey appeared once more to save Neena’s skin.

“Lucky me.” Neena laughed. “You come just in time, Charmed Ones.”

“No, they didn't!” Abigor teleported behind Neena before she could stop him. He swung Soulbane and stabbed Neena through the chest. 

Screams echoed across the bathhouse. Neena’s blood coat Soulbane and trickled down to the floor.

Seth blinked in front of Neena and smeared her blood onto his hand. He smiled while he approached Azazel’s shadowy form. “ _Blood of the Goddess, perverted by man’s hand._ ” Seth chanted, “ _Here before Hell’s chorus, restore mighty Azazel to this land!_ ” Seth reached to touch Azazel. Seth’s magic and contact with Neena’s blood broke Azazel free. A mighty blast of energy ripple across the bathhouse that everyone, except Neena, barely withstood.

Abigor removed Soulbane from Neena’s chest. The blast of magic shoved her into the empty pool with more of her blood spilling. Luckily, Wyatt would come to her aid. He caught Neena before she crashed and began the immediate work of healing her injury with Chris’s help. Joey would get down to the pool too and raised Apollo’s bow with an arrow in hand.

Meanwhile, magic rippled freely above them. Gallons of blood manifested from the few drops on Seth’s hand and covered Azazel’s spectral form. Azazel howled with laughter as his body became reconstituted, and he took his first breaths as a restored demon.

The Azazel before them contrasted greatly from the shadowy form. Azazel appeared shorter than the others in the Hellfire Club and had a far more slender physique. His handsome face obscured his true age, granting him the illusion of youth. Numerous runes in purple ink were tattooed onto his flesh. His amber eyes illuminated the dark room with raven-colored hair covering his face and traveling down to his back.

Azazel licked his pale lips. He could taste Neena’s blood on the tip of his tongue. He started to approach the edge of the pool to witness Wyatt and Chris finishing their healing. Neena gasped for air as she survived the attack but glared once she made contact with Azazel. “Dearest Neena. Thank you for restoring me to greatness!”

Azazel chuckled as he set his sights on Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. “Charmed Ones! Enjoy your solstice. Next time we meet, you will die by our hands.” Joey released the arrow, aiming for Azazel to end this mess. However, Azazel acted quickly. He waved his hands. Black orbs consumed everyone as he orbed them back to their base.

The arrow crashed into a wall, causing it to collapse from the impact. 

Neena slammed her fist into the cracked pool. “Damn them! Damn them to Hell!” Her voice boomed across the bathhouse.

Joey lowered his arm. His body started to tremble as he recalled the premonition that Mark gave him months ago. “We have to stop them before they revive the Source. We have to!”

“We will,” whispered Chris as he took Joey’s hand. “Come on. Let’s regroup.” 

Wyatt agreed as he held onto Neena, who surprisingly didn’t protest, and they orbed back to the manor together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right. Neena is part of the story. I revised her role a bit compared to her villainous role in the comics to make her more of a neutral party. Get ready for next week where we'll see a fully organized Hellfire Club with Seth formally starting their war against the Charmed Ones. Hopefully, our boys have what it takes to survive.


	23. Nexus de Omnibus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy y'all! Welcome to another fun-filled chapter that is setting up for an intense confrontation in the next chapter. Neena is back and I played with her origins a bit. She's not too different from her comic self, but I fixed a few things to fit the fic's lore.
> 
> Also, I just looked at the hits for the fic and it's sitting at 666 (last I checked). So praise the Source! Lol.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated

In the aftermath of Azazel’s revival, the brothers brought Neena back to the manor to regroup. 

Neena draped herself on the living room sofa, placing a hand over her chest. She still felt the stinging agony of Abigor’s Soulbane ripping her flesh. Even after Wyatt and Chris healed the wound, it would take some time for her to make a full recovery.

Chris returned from the kitchen with a glass of water. Meanwhile, everyone gathered in the living room as Neena’s presence was exhilarating and frightening as she was the First Witch. They had the progenitor of their magic in their family home.

Wyatt leaned against the wall, keeping close to Veronica as he stared at Neena. “So...you got a bit of a problem with the Hellfire Club too. Can you explain how we’re supposed to defeat them since you managed to destroy Azazel’s body?”

Neena took a sip of her water. Her eyes drifted towards Brody. “I won’t speak until the Elders’ dog is gone.”

“Pardon?” asked Brody.

“You heard me.” Neena sat up and placed the glass on the coffee table. She crossed her arms, holding back her pain. “You think I’ll speak before a Whitelighter? Anything I say will go back to them.” She pointed at Paige. “The hybrids may stay as my descendants have no true loyalty to the Elders. But you, Whitelighter, must leave.”

Before Brody could argue, Joey interfered. Joey patted Brody’s back. “You should go. We can’t afford to tick Neena off more. We’re pretty desperate here.” 

Brody sighed. He began to orb to the Heavens, leaving them alone with Neena.

Neena took another sip. Her body relaxed as she focused on her recovery. “That’s better. Now, we can speak in private. I refuse to have anything more to do with the Elders.”

“The Elders have reasons for doing what they do,” said Leo. “They’re jerks, but not everything they do is strictly awful.”

“Says the man that surrendered his wings.” Neena huffed. She noticed the surprise on Leo’s face as were everyone else as they failed to assume that she knew much about their past. “I’m an immortal being, and this family contains my most powerful descendants, of course, I pay attention to you.”

Neena chugged the water. Relieved from her dehydration, she could feel her mind easing. “The Elders did me dirty so long ago, as did the Angels of Destiny. That is why I want no part of them in my life.” Neena sighed. She looked at everyone in the room; they remained so obviously confused. “Destroying Azazel’s body was my ticket to freedom. I followed the Elders’ request to destroy Azazel since it is taboo for an Elder to kill another Elder, even a soulless one like Azazel, but in exchange, I would no longer be bound to the Greater Good. Foolish me.” Neena touched the rim of the cup. It refilled itself but not with water but red wine. “My freedom meant that the Angels and Elders would bind my descendants to serve instead. That is why your family and all witches struggle so.”

Neena leaned against the sofa, sipping her wine. “There is nothing more I can do for you. The Hellfire Club is your problem, not mine.”

“We still need your help!” said Joey. “We’ve faced the club twice and lost. Bad. There has to be something you can do to help us.”

“I have nothing to give you.” Neena chugged the wine. The alcohol did nothing to aid or harm her, but it tasted pleasant. She pointed at Joey and Wyatt. “You’re the ones with magic, god-killing weapons. Use them against your enemies. Might I suggest aiming for that warlock, Seth, first.”

Chris squinted his eyes. “Why Seth?

Neena glanced at Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. “His rage is tied to your past. And he will destroy your future if he is allowed to live.” Before anyone could ask a follow-up question, Neena vanished in a flash of light. They couldn’t stop her and now heard her ominous words on repeat, leaving them all afraid of what might come next.

*~* 

Azazel started at his reflection. He admired the crisp, white suit that he stole from the deceased owner’s closet. He smirked. Now that he had a body again, he could embrace his vain self and enjoy the pleasures that he been denied for centuries. 

Pleased with his appearance, Azazel departed from the bedroom to rejoin his siblings in evil. He approached the marble table to find everyone standing, their eyes glued to a single chair. He growled as he sensed a presence that he hoped would’ve departed by now.

However, it would turn out that Azazel would continue dealing with Seth, the thorny warlock.

Seth sat on Azazel’s chair, a glass of bourbon in hand. He took a sip when he noticed Azazel from the corner of his eye. “Hello, sexy! Looking good in that body. Now, aren’t you glad that we’re working together.”

Azazel slammed his hands onto the table, glaring at Seth. “Out of my chair now, boy!”

Seth grinned. He leaned his head closer to Azazel’s face and blew a kiss. “We. Have. An. Agreement.”

Black electricity surged across Azazel’s body. He stepped away from the table and blasted Seth, but Seth would blink to avoid the attack. The electricity struck the chair, leaving behind a massive scorch mark. Azazel spun around. He generated more electricity for his next assault. Seth reappeared and proved that he was prepared for a battle too. 

Once more, Seth would have the upper hand. Seth flicked his wrist as Azazel’s electricity approach. A fireball manifested in Seth’s hand, except metal rings manifested that orbited the fireball. Seth tossed the fireball and easily neutralized Azazel’s attack. The impact of their magic shoved Azazel towards the table, while the others’ knees buckled as Seth appeared unaffected.

Azazel gasped. He lifted his head, maintaining eye contact with Seth. “That fireball. You are no warlock!” Azazel clenched his fist. “That level of power. It belongs to the Source. Who are you?”

Seth twirled a curly lock of hair while licking his bottom lip. “I’ve wondered when you’d notice. My true name Seth Halliwell-Turner, son of the former King and Queen of the Underworld: Cole Turner and Phoebe Halliwell. Heir to the Source!”

Zurie laughed so hard that she began to hyperventilate. She grabbed onto Abigor’s arm while looking at Seth. “That is why I could not see you. It is the Source’s blood that blocks you from my sight.”

“Blood.” Lamia tilted her head. “This shouldn’t be possible. You died by your own power and took the Demonic Council down with you after the Seer stole you from Phoebe’s womb.”

Seth nodded. “I did. And it freed me from the Source’s essence, but I had enough power and consciousness to trigger my reincarnation.” He returned to Azazel’s chair. He brushed the scorch marks before taking his seat, staring at everyone. “And like Wyatt, I too was born on the day that magic vanished.”

Abigor’s eyes widened. “Therefore, the Prophecy of the Twice-Blessed Child refers to you too. The Son of the Source and a Charmed One.”

“Savior and destroyer,” whispered Zagon. “As the prophecy states.”

Azazel’s nails dug into his palm, drawing blood. He did well to mask his fury from his face even as Seth could pick up the scent of blood. Seth chuckled when he noticed the drops of blood staining Azazel's suit. Azazel glared at Seth. “That does not mean you belong amongst us.”

“Doesn’t it?” Seth tilted his head. “ _Heir to the Source_. My father sought to remake the Underworld. Even the Source’s essence recognized the value in my father’s choices.” Seth sprang forth from the chair. He smiled at them. “We can remake the Underworld! We can take the demons and evil, transforming it into something greater!” 

“You have nothing to offer us!” spat Azazel.

Abigor nodded. “You are heir to the Source, and you may even carry some power, but you have no legitimate authority. And we have no interest or desire to work alongside you.”

Seth huffed and folded his arms across his chest. “I had a feeling you’d say that. How shortsighted.” Seth began to walk away from them. “Oh well, I guess I will walk the path to the _All_ alone. That means more power for me.”

“The All!” Zurie glared at Azazel. She watched as Azazel would allow Seth to flee, but it wasn’t something that she could allow. She raced to grab Seth’s wrist before he could disappear. “You’ve found a path to the All? Are you certain?”

Seth smiled at Zurie before glancing at everyone else. “I found Neena, didn’t I? What makes you think I can’t find the All? Your lack of faith is outstanding.”

They fell silent. Zurie muttered at her siblings to follow Seth, even if they wouldn’t follow him as the Source’s heir, but as their guide to the All: the greatest of all treasures. Lamia and Zagon aligned with Zurie, while Abigor took longer to agree. Azazel would disagree before Zurie yell at him once more, demanding his cooperation.

Azazel growled. “Fine! Seth Turner. How do we reach the Nexus of the All?”

*~*

Since Neena wouldn’t assist in the fight against the Hellfire Club, the brothers had no choice but to move on with their lives until they had a clue for their next battle. In the meantime, Wyatt and Veronica decided to make an appointment with the doctor. It didn’t take them long to get seen, and the day before New Year’s Eve, they got the results that they wanted. They sat in Veronica’s car, milkshakes in hand, and stared at the sonogram of their future child. 

Veronica hadn’t sipped her strawberry milkshake since she got it. The whipped cream melted, and it started to overflow from the lid before she unconsciously took her first sip. “We’re going to be parents.”

Wyatt nodded while sitting at the driver’s seat. He finished his banana milkshake ages ago. He suffered from three brain freezes since he couldn’t stop himself from drinking while processing everything. “Seven weeks.” He gulped. “You’ve been preggers for a while.”

“I know.”

“An August baby. That means they’ll be a Leo or a Virgo. So they’ll be self-centered or logical. Those are big extremes.”

Veronica laughed. She bit on the straw. “Is that what you’re worried over? Our kid’s zodiac sign?”

“Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac. That means they’ll be calm and an idealist.” 

“I take it this is your way to distract yourself from parenting discussions.” 

Wyatt nodded. “A lot to take in.” He grabbed the sonogram, staring at the blob that told them almost nothing about their child other than it was cooking. He started smiling. “We should move in together.”

Veronica smiled. She rested her head on Wyatt’s shoulder, staring at the sonogram. “Good idea. Mika is thinking about moving in with his boyfriend too. You could move in with me.”

“A two-bedroom all lined up.” Wyatt reached for Veronica’s hand. “That means we can start working on a nursery. It would be a great starter. And your place isn’t too far from my job.”

“Let’s talk it over with Mika then. I’m sure we can persuade him to go.” Veronica giggled as she stopped drinking her melted milkshake. “Worst-case scenario, you might have to film a dirty video for him.”

Wyatt laughed. “Only with your permission.” He gave the sonogram back to Veronica before he started the car. They had plenty of people to show off the new addition to the Halliwell family. He couldn’t wait to see how his parents reacted to their first photo of their first grandchild.

*~*

At Hank’s place, Chris sat across from Hank to help Hank prepare for the LSAT. They had mountains of study guides scattered over the kitchen table. They also enjoy the fact that they had the house to themselves. Paige and Henry were at work, Tamora left to hang out with Paulina, and Bianca was also working.

Chris chewed on a cookie that Paige baked last night. He sorted Hank’s flashcards that were meant to help with the logic and vocabulary sections. “Are these even words? I don’t think half these words were in my SATs.”

Hank chuckled. “That’s what I said when I first saw them.”

“Dear god. Who the fuck even uses these words?”

“Lawyers, apparently.”

Chris cringed as he went back to eating his cookie. “No wonder everyone says lawyers don’t have a soul.” He shrugged. “Doesn’t help that Cole proved that argument true.”

Hank highlighted a section of his workbook. “Hopefully, I can break that narrative and be the first lawyer with a soul.”

“Blessings onto you, cuz.” Chris grabbed another cookie.

“Speaking of blessings.” Hank slammed his highlighter onto the workbook. “Wyatt’s going to be a daddy. Like what the hell?”

Chris nodded. “I’m struggling too. This news blew my mind.”

“Have you heard any updates yet? Like what Wyatt and Veronica will do?”

“No clue. They’re at the doctor's today, so we’ll find out if she’s really pregnant and how far along she is. Then, I guess they’ll figure it out from there.”

Hank shook his head and started to highlight the next section of the workbook. “Who knows where this will go.”

*~*

Meanwhile, Joey sat outside the women’s dressing room. He messaged the local fuckboys on Grindr, sending out dirty texts. He had a couple asking for a threesome, an older man willing to pay him a hundred dollars for feet pics, and some creep asking if he knew where to find meth. He had other guys texting him and had a dozen dick pics stuffing his inbox too. 

“Tell me I’m pretty!” shouted PJ.

Joey stopped looking at his phone. He gasped as he saw PJ in a black lace dress. The dress had an interesting pattern and fit perfectly, which would help PJ to stand out. 

PJ turned to the side. “Is this a yes? Am I showing off too much skin?”

“Very tasteful,” said Joey. “Wes will eat it up.”

PJ smirked. She forced Joey into going dress shopping with her since she had a New Year’s Eve date. The guy, Wes, was from her Calculus class, and they spent the semester blowing up each other on Snapchat, so PJ decided to take up the offer to go out. And to make the date more memorable, PJ wanted to wear something sexy but not too sexy.

PJ looked at her reflection from the pedestal mirror. She looked at her feet. “I need new heels to go with the dress.”

“Do you have new shoe money?”

“Yes, I do.” PJ started to return to the fitting room only to scream as she stopped dead in her tracks.

Joey squinted his eyes since he expected a demon was attacking them. However, instead, he found Neena standing over his shoulder. He screamed too and fell from the chair, dropping his phone while staring at some dude’s dick pic. Luckily, no one else was in the fitting room, which meant that they didn’t run the risk of making a scene.

Neena bent over, grabbing the phone. She chuckled when she saw the pic and tossed the phone back to Joey. “That’s a fake pic.” She turned to PJ. “Cute dress. Now, excuse us. I need to borrow your cousin. We have important matters to discuss.”

“What?” said PJ and Joey.

Neena didn’t waste another second. She grabbed onto Joey’s wrist, and they vanished in a flash of light.

PJ covered her mouth. “Shit! I better call Chris and Wyatt.”

*~*

Reality shifted until Joey saw himself in a white void. He stumbled despite the lack of an affirmed existence, leaving him terrified until he noticed Neena standing nearby. Neena had her arms crossed and yelled at him to calm down.

Neena tilted her head and groaned. “We have a bit of trouble.”

Joey shook his head. He adjusted enough to this void when he realized what Neena said. It made him laugh. “Trouble? So is that way of asking for help? After you told us to fuck off?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You basically did.” Joey crossed his arms. He shifted his weight onto his hip, sticking it out a bit to match Neena’s pose. “What do you want, Mother of Witches? What can I do for you that one as powerful as you can’t handle alone?”

Neena sighed. “I sensed a cosmic disturbance. The Hellfire Club is after the All.” 

Joey straightened up, squinting his eyes. “The All? What is that?”

“The source of all magic. A Nexus above all other Nexuses that exists outside the multiverse. You can think of it as the spark that ignited existence. And it is coming into contact with the All that I obtained my magic. Therefore, your magic is tied to the All as well. Now, think for a second how screwed we’ll be if demons get their hands on it.”

Joey stuttered. “Oh! Okay.”

Neena nodded. She stepped closer, taking hold of Joey’s hand. “I cannot trust anyone else to help me protect the All. The Elders and Angels of Destiny are my betrayers. They took everything from me. That is why I need your help. You and your brothers are the only ones powerful enough to help me protect the All. To save my husband.”

“Husband?”

“There is much I need to tell you about myself and the source of our universe’s conflicts. However, I will only do so with your brothers present. I do not intend to repeat myself.” Neena squeezed Joey’s hand. A flash of magic washed over them once more as she transported them away from this bright void.

*~*

Seth walked alongside the Hellfire Club in a gray void where they saw no end in sight. They wandered this pathway for what felt like ages but could’ve easily been minutes too. They found it impossible to keep track of anything in this space. However, they knew the risks of attempting to commune with the Nexus of the All.

They continued walking along an invisible pathway, making sure to stand close so that they wouldn’t get separated in this dimension.

Abigor positioned his hand onto Soulbane’s hilt. His eyes lock onto Seth. “You best not be tricking us, Source spawn. Or else I will vanquish you.”

Seth chuckled. “Why bother threatening me now, Abigor? Killing me could leave you trapped here too. In case you forgot, I am the only being in our universe that knows how to reach the All outside of Neena and the Angels of Destiny. Do you care to risk spending eternity wandering this Limbo?”

Lamia placed her hand over Abigor’s chest while he growled. “Easy now, pup.” Lamia blew a kiss to Abigor. “Our young friend is right. We shouldn’t risk angering him. Not in our current position.”

“Yes.” Zagon stuffed his hands into his pocket. His golden curls bounced across his shoulders while he searched the void for any signs of an exit. “This place irritates me. I’d rather not spend an eternity trapped here.”

Zurie nodded. “Not even I can use my visions to find our escape. It appears we are dependent upon our guide.”

Seth licked his lips. He looked at Abigor and Azazel. “Looks like the ladies and Zagon are the only ones with a brain. Maybe I should ditch you two and take them with me to the All.”

Azazel glared. “Do not betray us, boy. Besides, you will still need allies.” Azazel’s expression softened as he began to think more on their situation. “Neena is connected to the All; she likely knows of our actions and will recruit your cousins. You cannot take the risk of facing them underpowered.”

“True.” Seth sighed as he didn’t like the odds. He closed his eyes to sense their proximity to the All, thinking of the various texts he read to uncover its location. “Well, we are close to our exit. It won’t take us much longer. Let us hurry before Neena and the Charmed Ones get in our way.”

They nodded, following Seth as they ventured deeper into this dimensional void until a flash of purplish-pink light glistened before them, swallowing them whole.

*~*

Wyatt and Veronica wasted no time in spreading their good news. Chris returned from the study session, while Piper and Leo left work for that day. They gathered at the manor, staring at the sonogram of the fetus growing inside of Veronica.

Tears poured from Piper’s eyes. “Oh! This is the cutest little dot that I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“It’s a dot, mom.” Chris shook his head. “Chill.” 

Wyatt stuck his tongue out at Chris. “You’re just jealous because I got a little dot first.”

Leo ignored Wyatt and Chris arguing to focus on the sonogram. The thoughts of the future that he traveled to with Piper all those years ago replayed in his mind. He would soon become a grandparent. “The family’s growing. Maybe we should frame the sonogram?”

“You mean we are framing it.” Piper pressed the sonogram against her chest. She kept crying while staring at Veronica. “Can I keep it?”

Veronica giggled. “That’s your copy. We had the doctor print out an extra copy.”

“Good! I was going to keep it anyway.”

While they flipped over the coming of Wyatt and Veronica’s child, a flash of light illuminated the hallway. Neena brought Joey home, which reminded Wyatt and Chris of PJ’s text. 

They jumped from their seats. They found themselves confused to see Joey with Neena, but knew it couldn’t be for anything good. Joey did his best to quickly fill everyone in on what Neena told him about the All. Only Leo understood the severity of the situation since he was aware of the All’s existence and purpose from his days as an Elder.

Leo shook his head. “If the Hellfire Club gets the All, they can take that power and spread its power to every demon in our universe. This is worse than when Zankou stole the Nexus here.”

“So really bad.” Chris sighed. He tilted his head while staring at Neena. “And that’s the source of your magic? Our magic. How, though?”

Neena went to the dining room and took a seat at the table. She noticed the sonogram on the table, which made her smile as she understood their situation. “Back when humans were still a new species and magic ran wild, I would come into contact with a rift that connected to the All. I would bring my husband to it. When I touched the rift, I became infused with power directly from the All. A power that I would share with my husband.”

“For a time, we remained on Earth. We would have numerous children. Some who inherited a tiny fraction of my magic while others did not, but their children would have the potential to one day wield magic. So began the days of witches. Eventually, some of our descendants coveted more power to become more like me and would turn against our family, becoming the first warlocks.”

Wyatt frowned at the thought of family turning against each other. He shook his head as he joined Neena at the table. “What of your husband? What happened to him?”

Neena passed the sonogram towards Wyatt. Tears trickled down her face. “After having many children, my husband and I ascended to a higher plane of existence. We would live with the All for a time in a paradise of our creation. Our Garden of Eden. But our presence there started to affect the universe. We carried so much power from the All that we caused magic to fade from here. This ignited a war. The Gods and the Old Ones roamed free and fought to control what was left of the magic, fighting to take the All’s power too. So the Angels of Destiny intervened. They separated us. My husband remained in the higher plane with the All, and I was forced back to Earth, restoring balance and the natural order.”

Joey closed his eyes. “That’s why you hate the Angels of Destiny and the Elders.”

Piper touched her stomach. She could see memories of the countless times she fought the Elders to protect Leo and her relationship. “You have every right to your anger.”

Neena smiled. “I knew you of all people would understand.” She turned to Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. “That is why I need your help. You live only because of your parents’ opposition to the Elders. And your power comes from me. The fact that your family can invoke the Power of Three means you channel more magic from the All than any other witch, except for me. That is why I desperately need your help.”

“To save magic,” whispered Chris.

“And protect your husband,” said Joey.

Neena nodded. She stood up and extended her hand out to them. “Please. Help me.”

“We will.” Wyatt knew that they couldn’t reject Neena’s request. The stakes were far too high. They couldn’t risk the All falling to Seth and the Hellfire Club’s hands. 

Wyatt turned to Veronica. He held onto her hands. “Sorry that I can’t spend more time with you celebrating. The multiverse kind of needs saving.”

Veronica wanted to cry, but she would laugh instead. She started to adjust to seeing Wyatt leave, but this situation felt far worse. It felt almost like saying goodbye forever. “I understand.” She kissed his cheek. “Come home soon. You need to help me build a nursery.”

Wyatt smiled. “Yes, ma’am!” He kissed Veronica once more than stepped out into the hallway. A flash of golden light appeared as he summoned Excalibur. Joey would raise his hand to call Apollo’s bow to him.

Chris crossed his arms as he stared at the weapons in Wyatt and Joey’s hands. He looked at his empty hands. “I guess I’ll need to rely on shooting Force lightning.”

“Or not.” 

Something sharp poked at Chris’s back. He turned to find Neena standing behind him, holding onto a steel claw with turquoise fabric wrapped around the handle. Neena handed the claw to him, with Chris examining the hole at the end. 

Neena urged caution. “This weapon is Starbreaker. I forged it for my second son. It contains a fragment of my power, allowing you to restructure it into a whip of pure energy that is powerful enough to pierce even a God’s flesh.”

Chris squinted. “A whip?” A flash of violet light saw a violet chain of energy manifesting as it indeed took the shape of a whip. He jumped with the whip beginning to move and nearly struck the grandfather clock. He thought of the whip retracting, which caused the energy to vanish before the clock got destroyed. “Holy shit! This is the coolest thing ever!”

Piper had raised her hands out of instinct as she prepared to freeze the whip. “You’re lucky you didn’t break my clock, Christopher.”

“Sorry, mommy.”

Joey rolled his eyes. “Enough playing with toys. We need to head for the All before Seth and the Hellfire Club destroys everything.” He stopped to scratch his head. A thought only now crossing his mind. “How do we get to the All?”

“I have a spell.” Neena extended her hand out, signaling them to do the same. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey placed their hands over each other as they stood in the four cardinal directions.

Neena closed her eyes. She channeled her power while urging them to invoke the Power of Three. “ _By blood, we open the door. By blood, we reveal the path_.” Neena took a deep breath. “ _Unlock the hidden shore. Away from cosmic wrath. Take us now to the Nexus of the All._ ”

Raw magic rippled across their bodies. Their eyes turned pure white as words flashed across their minds. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey would join Neena in reciting the final lines of the spell. “ _Nos veneficas ad nos nexus de omnibus. Nos veneficas ad nos nexus de omnibus. Nos veneficas ad nos nexus de omnibus._ ”

A column of purplish-pink light washed over Neena, Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. It swallowed their entire being and transported to the far edges of the multiverse where the Nexus of the All waited for them.

Veronica closed her eyes, holding back tears as she touched her belly. “Be careful, Wyatt. Be careful, guys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooop! Things are going to get intense. And Seth is Phoebe and Cole's unborn child? Gasp. How will everyone react to that bombshell? It's Carole Baskin killed her husband intense!


	24. Battle for All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all. So here is the "season finale" of this next section of the fic. It's an all-out war for the Charmed Ones and the Hellfire Club. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

In a vast desert and a clear blue sky that appeared as infinite as the cosmos itself, a purplish-pink dome hummed a great deal of power. Magic flowed in every direction, filling the very air that one breathed. Aside from the magic, one couldn’t feel a thing as this place had no true atmosphere as the dome was all that existed within this space. 

Wyatt, Chris, and Joey stood in awe of the dome. The proximity left their skin burning, and they would tremble as they never encountered a force like this dome before. 

Starbreaker nearly slipped from Chris’s hand. “Is this? Is this the All?”

Neena approached them from behind. Even as she walked over the sand, her feet didn’t produce any sound. It only reinforced the peculiarity of this place. “Yes. This is the Nexus of the All. Well, this entire space is the All,” said Neena. “However, the dome itself is its primary manifestation.”

“The energy that courses throughout the multiverse.” Wyatt shook his head while tightening his grip on Excalibur. “The Source of All Magic. What an incredible sight.”

“And terrifying.” Joey pressed Apollo’s bow against his chest. He still trembled from the All’s presence. “The Hellfire Club and Seth would become unbeatable if they got here first.”

Neena nodded. “Then, let us pray that we made it here before them.” Neena approached the dome only for a fireball to sail across the desert. She stopped midstep, while Chris swung his hand. His telekinesis blasted the fireball into the sand, helping to spare Neena.

They looked across from them to see Lamia’s hand raised and smoke flickering from her fingers. Lamia grinned, while the Hellfire Club and Seth gathered around her. “Oh lookie,” said Lamia. “Our favorite playmates are here too.”

Wyatt raised Excalibur. “Speak of the devils.”

Azazel squinted his eyes. “And here I thought we could surprise you. It appears that we took the scenic route.” He glared at Seth.

Seth shrugged. “I followed the directions as they were laid out. Don’t get pissed at me because Ms. Neena knew a shortcut.” He flicked his wrist. He manifested a purple fireball with metal rings orbiting around it. “We knew that they were coming. We might as well put an end to them now before they can ruin our plans.”

Abigor unsheathed Soulbane. “For the first time, I agree with the boy. Let us end the Charmed Ones before they can take power from the All!” Seth squinted his eyes as he didn’t know if he should interpret Abigor’s comment as an insult. Abigor didn’t spare a thought over Seth as he charged towards their foes.

“Not a chance!” Wyatt swung Excalibur. The sword radiated a golden light. He slashed at the ground, pulling a pillar of sand. The sand pillar stopped Abigor from getting much closer.

Zagon uncurled his whip and cracked it. His magic caused the whip to transform into a javelin that he flung with all his might, causing the sand pillar to explode. “You won’t have it that easy, Charmed Ones!”

Sand rained over everyone’s heads, but Zurie had a trick up her sleeve too. “Ready yourself, Seth!” She twisted her fingers and telekinetically directed the sand to fall on their foes.

The sand blinded them, which gave Seth a perfect chance to strike. He flung the fireball at Wyatt to eliminate the Power of Three. 

Joey brushed the sand from his face and noticed Seth’s incoming attack. He raised the bow, pulling the string to conjure an arrow. He released the arrow with it sailing across the desert to blast Seth’s fireball. Sparks scattered across the sand, but the arrow remained strong as it continued onward.

The arrow approached Seth’s heart when Azazel intercepted the attack. Azazel raised his hand, swallowing the arrow in black orbs until the arrow dissolved. 

Seth blew Azazel a kiss. “You do care.”

Azazel huffed. “I don’t. You’re just too valuable to lose this early in the fight.”

“You care!” Seth summoned another fireball. 

Meanwhile, Joey created another arrow. Chris had Starbreaker form its energy whip, while Wyatt raised Excalibur. Neena clenched her fists as red energy flared around her. Seth and the Hellfire Club gathered as they too were ready for the worst.

However, before the next round could occur, the dome began to glow brighter. They didn’t notice at first, but the buildup of energy would capture their attention. They would scream as an energy wave erupted from the All that struck them hard. Instead of collapsing or even being vanquished from the blast, they would disappear into the dome as the All pulled them within its infinite depths.

*~*

The clock ticked back home. In the dining room, Piper flipped through the Book of Shadows. She tried to find anything about the All or something that could help her boys. She glanced at her phone to see that two hours passed since Neena took her boys to defend the All. While Piper knew it was unrestrainable to expect an immediate victory, her heart told her to fear the worst. 

Leo and Veronica tried to keep each other calm as they watched TV, but they couldn’t find the motivation to pay attention to the sitcom on the screen. Their minds were too lost with worry. Like Piper, they started fearing that the boys wouldn’t survive this battle, not when the stakes were so high.

Piper slammed her hand onto the kitchen table. She gave up on the Book helping. “Brody!” She walked into the hallway. “Brody!” Her voice boomed across the manor. It alarmed Leo and Veronica as they raced towards her, while light-blue orbs descended from the sky.

The orbs faded as Brody appeared. “Piper? Why are you calling me? Does it have something to do with the boys because I can’t sense them!”

“We know.” Piper started to quickly fill Brody in on what happened with Neena and their mission to protect the All. Brody appeared confused at first since Whitelighters knew nothing of the All as it was something that the Elders kept hidden. It took a bit longer, but Brody finally caught on to everything. “I don’t feel good about leaving the boys alone with Neena,” continued Piper. “And I can’t see this ending well. We have to help them.”

Brody nodded. “Of course. How though? I doubt that the Elders would know how to reach the All.”

“They don’t,” said Leo. “They don’t have that level of power. Without the Power of Three to send us to the All directly, we would need help from an Angel of Destiny, but that also requires the Power of Three to summon one.”

Veronica sighed. Her hands now following to her belly as maternal instincts took over, elevating her fear. “And we don’t have that at our disposal.”

Piper noticed Veronica’s hand. She would frown as she realized the stress she caused. However, she couldn’t sit here and do nothing. She used to be a Charmed One, and she was their mother. She had to help.

Even as Piper gave up on the Book of Shadows, the Book didn’t give up on the family. The pages began to turn, which Piper noticed. A smile crossed her face when she saw that the Book landed on the Arachi’s entry.

“I have an idea.” Piper turned to Leo and Veronica. “Call the others for reinforcements. We’ll need the family to pull this off. And I’ll summon Prue, mom, and Grams.” She turned to Brody. “As for you. I know of some other Charmed Ones who can help us, but we’ll need someone who can cross universes to help us. Can you find Kasey?”

*~*

The All played no favorites but grew annoyed from the fighting. It swallowed Neena, the brothers, Seth, and the Hellfire Club to transport them into domains within the dome. It went so far as to separate everyone, which both acted as an advantage and a disadvantage. 

Joey crashed onto a cobblestone floor and rolled until he bumped into a Grecian-style column. He groaned from the impact then started to pick himself up. He looked to see that the All transported him into an agora that left him confused if this was an illusion or somehow the All had him time travel.

Joey squeezed bow’s handle. “Not good.”

“For you, little witch.” Lamia’s voice boomed across the agora. She stepped from the shadows with Zagon joining. They grinned, while Joey took a step back. “Aw. Not so tough without your big brothers to protect you. This should be fun.”

Zagon licked his lips while he twirled his javelin. “Save me some, Lamia.”

“No promises, Zaggy.” Lamia rushed across the agora. She moved at blinding speed.

Joey attempted to fire an arrow, but Lamia moved faster. Lamia grabbed onto Joey’s arm, squeezing it tight as she prepared to sink her fangs into him. Refusing to fall for that a second time, Joey kicked Lamia’s vulva. Lamia yelped as she covered her crotch, releasing him. Joey swung the bow, smacking its steel frame against her chest. 

Before he could celebrate, Zagon came after him. The javelin sailed across the agora with Joey needing to duck to avoid getting hit. Joey rolled onto the ground and pulled his bowstring to fire an arrow. The arrow barely missed Zagon, while Lamia recovered from having her lady parts kicked. 

They circled Joey, making it clear that he wouldn’t have an easy time with this fight.

Joey squeezed onto the bow. He couldn’t rely on firing arrows since they moved far too quickly for him to aim and fire. He found himself grateful that the bow was sturdy enough for him to use as a close-range weapon too. While it wouldn’t kill them, he could count on injuring them.

Zagon waved his hand. The javelin returned to him, which transformed back into a whip. “Maybe stick close to me, Lamia. You wouldn’t want to get hurt.”

Lamia growled. “I’m going to kill you, little witch.”

Joey projected confidence even as he knew he was screwed in this fight. “Bring it on, Bella Swan. I’ll send your sparkly ass to Hell!”

*~*

A cable car zoomed passed Chris as he stood on the middle of a street, which he found incredibly odd. The world that the All created seemed freaky as it reminded him of pictures of 1920s San Francisco. The only difference he noticed was that the world lacked people, and the city streets were utterly silent except for the fireball that nearly missed his head. He cracked Starbreaker, winding the whip around a streetlight, and used it to swing from an incoming attack. 

Chris landed across the street and retracted Starbreaker. Electricity sparked across his fingertips when he looked behind him to see Zurie resuming her pursuit. 

“You can’t hide from me, Christopher.” Zurie drew her dagger and ignited another fireball. Her eyes flashed black for a moment as she had a vision to anticipate his next move. “I know everything you’ll do before you. There is no hiding. There is no move you can make without me anticipated it.”

“Fucking seers!” Chris shot an electric blast at a nearby stoplight. He counted on the electrical current reacting to her nearby dagger to shock her, but she knew that plan. The dagger floated from her palm and absorbed the electrical current to charge it. She flung the electrified dagger after him.

Chris cracked Starbreaker to block the dagger, but in doing so, he left him vulnerable. Zurie tossed the fireball. It gave Chris only a split second to react before he got burned to a crisp. He blinked and generated orbs around the fireball to send it flying across the street as another cable car zoomed passed them.

The fireball slammed into the cable car, igniting it in flames as it began to burn the streets.

Chris gulped. “Good thing we’re not in the real world.”

Zurie summoned an energy ball next. “Not that being here with the All will do you any good!” She fired it at Chris, his momentary distraction, preventing him from effectively defending himself. The energy ball struck a phone booth and exploded, blasting Chris a few feet.

The explosion knocked Chris to the ground and Starbreaker from his hand. He groaned while reaching for his rib cage. He half-rolled onto the side when Zurie came after him again. She created another energy ball and could easily finish him. But he reacted in the nick of time. He raised his hand, hurling a telekinetic blast that pushed Zurie to the street. Before Zurie could counter, a cable bus zoomed by and hit her, sending her flying down the road.

Chris laid on his back and groaned. “Fuck...I have to get up.”

*~*

A blade of red energy repelled Soulbane’s attack. Abigor growled while he stepped back before Neena could counter. He barely managed to avoid Neena’s thrust. The magic she bent to create a sword to compete against Soulbane marked her as worthy competition. 

They fought on an open prairie that overlooked a field of nothing. The serenity of this place reminded Neena of the paradise that she resided with her husband. However, she couldn’t allow such pleasant thoughts to distract her. Not when the All remained in danger, and Abigor would strike her down at a moment’s notice.

Neena dodged Abigor swinging Soulbane. She squinted her eyes, hurling a telekinetic blast that pushed him back. 

Abigor stabbed the ground to stop the momentum. He huffed. “I thought you’d be stronger here, witch. It would appear that the All reclaimed its blessing. Or, perhaps, it decided to give me greater power because you are no longer worthy.”

Neena squinted her eyes. She raised the energy blade. “You know nothing of the All, knight. If you did, then you wouldn’t be so foolish to come here in the first place. You are attempting to play with the powers of Creation. As a warning, Creation does not respond well when the arrogant attempt to claim it for selfish reasons.”

“Creation will submit before us. Its power will belong to the demons, and we shall unleash a new Age of Evil upon this universe.”

“Fools.” Neena lunged at Abigor. She swung the blade but missed as Abigor phased his body. He dragged Soulbane over the grass for a close strike. 

Once more, Neena managed to repel the attack. She transformed the blade into a giant shield, which absorbed the impact, but also shoved her back. At the moment it took her to recover, Abigor took that as his second chance. He slashed the shield, building enough force to shatter the shield. 

Sparks of red light scattered across the ground as Neena fell. 

Abigor laughed as he moved closer to deliver a final blow. However, before Abigor could strike, Neena fired a blast of azure energy that sent Abigor flying. She managed to save her life, but she didn’t know how much longer she could continue this fight.

*~*

Lightning and fireballs blasted the castle walls with Wyatt doing all that he could to avoid getting hit. Azazel and Seth continued their assault. They tried their hardest to catch Wyatt off his guard. However, Wyatt would move quickly and swung Excalibur to repel the attacks, causing them to blast the castle that the All brought them to instead.

A fireball nearly struck Wyatt’s chest. He activated his deflection power, sending the fireball sailing towards Azazel. Azazel channeled a swirl of black orbs to shield himself.

Azazel growled. “Watch where you aim, boy!”

Seth chuckled. He twisted his wrist to conjure a sword from a cloud of smoke. “Don’t get pissy with me, old-timer. You can’t blame me for Wyatt’s magic.”

“I can and will.”

Wyatt smirked while they continued to bicker. He took that as his chance to steady his breathing and process his next move. Excalibur grew heavy in his hand as the moment of respite made him realize how exhausted the fight left him.

Wyatt grabbed Excalibur with both hands. He didn’t know how to pull off a win, not against such powerful foes. “Come on, superwitch. Think of a plan to save your pretty ass.”

“Quit complaining!” Seth rolled his eyes at Azazel. “You’re going to blow this easy win for us. I’m about to prove why this boy is unworthy of calling himself the Twice-Blessed.”

Azazel huffed. “Then, finish him!”

“With pleasure.”

Seth charged at Wyatt with his sword in hand. Wyatt raised Excalibur. The collision resulted in golden sparks scattering everywhere. The ground trembled, while Seth pressed harder in an attempt to overpower Wyatt. Wyatt’s muscles flexed while he pushed back and did all that he could to stand his ground. 

The clanging of steel echoed across the castle courtyard. Seth’s glare felt quite intense to Wyatt. Looking at each other from such a tight space, it left Wyatt with an odd sense of familiarity. Almost like he’s seen Seth’s eyes before and not just from their encounters at Erotia. It felt more like a memory of flipping through a photo album. 

It didn’t feel right, which left Wyatt’s stomach in knots. 

“Oh, I’ll end this pathetic show!” 

Before either one could move, something sharp struck Wyatt’s shoulder. Wyatt howled as he broke contact with Seth and collapsed to the ground. Blood gushed from Wyatt’s shoulder, and he saw Azazel towering over him, holding onto a bloody athame. 

Azazel grinned as he raised the athame. Sparks of teal light ignited from Wyatt’s blood. “Now, to claim the All for evil.”

Seth glared at Azazel while slowly slashing his hand open. “I could’ve finished him alone.” He raised his bloody palm with garnet light arising.

Wyatt’s eyes became heavier from his blood loss, while the castle faded. He fought to retain his consciousness, but it got harder to do. Even as he trembled at the sight of whatever dark magic Azazel and Seth prepared to unleash.

*~*

Reality shifted once more. The teal and crimson light illuminated the All, sparking their reunion. Instead of the various spaces that the All transported them, the scene became remade into a starry abyss but beneath them was a floor of white and black tiles. In the vast distance, they could see the sun.

“Wyatt!” 

Chris and Joey rushed from across the vast space to Wyatt’s aid. Chris slid onto the ground and began to heal Wyatt’s wound while Joey stood watch. Seth and Azazel continued their spell, while the others in the Hellfire Club stood in awe. 

Neena would go to the brothers when Zurie noticed something missing from their plan. Zurie drew her dagger and disappeared into flames. 

Neena felt a mystical disturbance. It dawned on her what Azazel and Seth intended to do, but their plan was still missing something crucial. She clenched her fist to generate another energy sword; however, it was too late. 

Zurie flamed behind Neena. Zurie swung her dagger and sliced into Neena’s arm, drawing blood. “Thank you for your donation, Neena.” Zurie vanished once more into flames, while Neena covered her injured arm. 

The flames reappeared next to Azazel and Seth. Zurie raised the blood-covered dagger. It began to radiate an emerald. “ _Blood from the Mother of Witches_ ,” said Zurie. “ _Chosen emissary of the All. Champion of Neutrality!_ ”

Azazel connected the bloody athame with Zurie’s dagger. Wyatt’s blood reacted to Neena’s blood as the teal light grew brighter. “ _Blood from the Son of a Witch and a Whitelighter_ ,” said Azazel. “ _Emissary of the Heavens. Champion of Good!”_

Seth wrapped his bloody hand around the athame and dagger, the crimson light smothering the other lights. He took a deep breath as his blood mixed with the others. “ _Blood from the Son of a Witch and a Demon,_ ” said Seth. “ _Emissary of the Underworld. Champion of Evil!_ ”

As the spell continued, the vast space began to warp. Lamia, Zagon, and Abigor drew closer to their companions as a purplish-pink light began to wash over them. The starry space darkened, breathing life into an ominous air.

“No!” Neena ignored the pain of her open wound. She allowed the blood to continue to flow free as she stood horrified at the sight. “They can’t! They’ll claim the All’s power for themselves!”

Joey shook his head. “Then, we stop them!” He raised Apollo’s Bow and pulled the bowstring. He fired a golden arrow that he aimed for Seth. However, the power that they wielded shielded Seth from the god-killing arrow. The arrow exploded against the magical buildup and did no harm. “Fuck!” Joey shouted. “This can’t be happening!”

Seth, Azazel, and Zurie floated higher. They left Lamia, Abigor, and Zagon on the ground.

Wyatt pulled himself up as Chris finished healing him. He grabbed onto Excalibur and stumbled forward. “It’s not over yet.” He groaned past his pain. “The All isn’t theirs yet. You can sense it, right?”

“Yeah.” Chris swung Starbreaker, generating the whip. Its energy hummed in the starry space as Chris prepared for a fight. “If we can vanquish them quickly, then we can stop them from claiming the All.”

Neena nodded as she ignored her fears. They still had time to save her husband and the All from these demons. “We must act fast! Time is not on our side!”

They closed ranks, preparing for battle when the ground erupted. They stepped back while noticing Lamia, Zagon, and Abigor laughing. A rift appeared on the ground from the broken black and white tiles. They could hear a frightening howl when several bodies slowing began to arise from the pit, most unfamiliar to them, save for one.

Nomed appeared from the rift. He straightened his suit as he gestured to the other demons to follow. “Your infernal armies are here, masters! Ready to do your bidding!”

A hundred demons rose from the rift of various shapes and sizes. Many that the brothers couldn’t recognize, but they did see two giants in their ranks. Serpent-looking dragons flew over them, while other beastly demons stood in assembly. 

The light from Seth, Azazel, and Zurie flashed over the demonic horde. The brothers and Neena watched some of the demons grow in size, while others burned with power. The demonic laughs echoed across the All’s void, which meant nothing good.

Neena closed her eyes. “They’re accessing the All’s power. They’re not quite invincible yet, but they’ll get there with more time.” She summoned a second energy sword to her hand. She began to approach the demonic horde. “Save yourselves, boys. I can’t ask you to die by my side.”

“What!” said Wyatt. 

Chris shook his head. “No way! We’re not going to abandon you, Neena!” Chris caught up with Neena. He grabbed onto his whip with both hands, standing close to face the demons. “They’re our problem too. If the demons win, then they’ll kill our families and destroy our world! We can’t run!”

“That’s right!” Joey pulled at his bowstring, drawing another golden arrow. “This is our fight too. Even if it's a losing battle, we have to fight!”

Wyatt nodded. He swung Excalibur while glaring at the demonic horde. “But we won’t lose! We got plenty of reason to fight and the Power of Three on our side! These demons don’t stand a chance against us!” 

Neena smiled. A glimmer of hope fluttered in her chest. “Thank you, boys. You have no idea how much it means to me to have you at my side.”

Ready to face down the demonic horde, Neena led the brothers into a fight only to stop midway when a rift of fiery energy manifested. The rift grew larger, but they didn’t feel a demonic presence emerging. Instead, they found more hope. 

The rift grew more extensive as it spat out Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. Their hands locked with their presence surprising the others. But the rift didn’t close, and that wasn’t all the reinforcements. PJ, Paulina, Tamora, and Hank soon followed. Then Bianca came out of the rift with Veronica and Billie. And soon, Prue emerged too with Patty and Penny, temporarily regaining living bodies for a battle.

Wyatt, Chris, and Joey cheered as their family came to their aid at their most desperate moment. They rushed over to greet each other, while Neena watched over the demonic horde as they prepared for battle.

Wyatt hugged Veronica but stared at Piper. “How? How did you get here without the Power of Three?”

Piper turned back. The rift hadn’t closed yet. “We found Kasey and had him bring some friends over to the manor.”

Another group emerged from the rift with it closing behind them. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey gasped as a trio of familiar faces greeted them. Macy, Mel, and Maggie’s hands glowed with violet light as they channeled their Power of Three with Kasey’s Arachi powers to portal everyone to the All.

The light faded from the sisters' hands as they separated. They hugged the brothers as the Charmed Ones of two Earths had a mini-reunion.

Maggie squeezed Joey tightly and kissed his forehead. “Oh, my goddess! It’s been so long since we saw you, guys! And you got taller! And cuter!”

Joey chuckled. “I knew I could count on you to appreciate my cuteness!”

Macy hugged Chris, stepping back as Bianca took his arm. “I’m glad we made it on time to kick some ass.”

Chris nodded. “You really saved our skin. We thought we were about to die.”

Mel patted Wyatt’s back. “So, you’re in serious trouble.”

Wyatt shrugged. “As you can tell. This is going to be a nasty fight.”

“Lucky for us,” said Prue, “that fighting is what this family does best.”

“Oh, yes, dear.” Penny brushed her hands across her oversized shawl. “This should be plenty of fun.”

“A real family reunion.” Patty smiled at Wyatt. “Afterward, we can celebrate the baby news.”

The demons howled. The rift to the Underworld ceiling itself shut as the last of the demons arrived for the fight. They received power from the All, but not enough to make them invincible. Seth, Zurie, and Azazel still needed more time to channel enough of the All’s power to evil to really decide the fate of the universe.

Billie gulped. “Why is it that we only see each other for the end of the world?”

Neena called for everyone’s attention. She pointed her blade at the incoming demonic horde, while emerald energy flashed over her body. The energy slowly expanded until her power washed over everyone else. “We still have our connection to the All!” She raised her head and smiled. “Your powers are at their fullest potential here. Hold nothing back! You are fighting to protect all realities!”

Wyatt twirled Excalibur as he moved to stand beside Neena. “Alright, then. Let’s send these demons back to Hell!”

They charged into battle, while Lamia, Zagon, and Abigor led the demonic horde as the Battle for the All neared its conclusion.

*~*

The battle commenced with the family responding before the demonic horde could strike first.

Hank slammed his hands towards the ground. A cold wind blew from his palms while he created dozens of ice pillars that ascended several meters into the sky, towering over most of the demons. Meanwhile, a ball of sparks manifested from Veronica’s hand as Bianca created a massive energy ball that they launched at Hank’s pillars. The balls exploded into a barrage of smaller sparks and energy balls that reflected against the ice. The energy balls crashed into many demons, while the sparks built enough power that they became destructive laser blasts. The laser fire and energy ball began to demolish the demonic horde, easily decimating some. 

Patty had Paulina and Tamora stand beside her. A giddy smile crossed Patty’s face as she looked forward to properly working alongside her grandchildren. They flicked their wrists and struck the pillars with combustive magic. The pillars shattered with massive chunks of ice began to rain from the sky. The ice chunks struck some of the demons, but it wasn’t enough to crush their numbers.

That is why Penny led PJ and Billie to start the next attack. They swung their arms. Telekinesis lifted the ice chunks, and they slammed the ice onto every incoming demon, squashing many like bugs. They showed no signs of relenting as they continued slamming the demons with ice, while Hank conjured more ice to stall the demonic horde. 

Meanwhile, a demonic giant escaped from the ice storm. This giant easily towered over everyone and everything. It exposed its fangs and brought its fist down to kill the family before they could decimate any more demons. 

When Wyatt attempted to block the attack, Paige ran forward instead. “Leave this to us!” She raised her arms. Light-blue orbs gathered as she created an orb shield to block the giant’s punch. The impact with the shield made the giant stumble a few steps.

Phoebe smirked. “We’re not Charmed Ones anymore, but we’re still tough!” She levitated herself into the air, building as much momentum as she could. She neared the giant and punched it with all her might, forcing the giant to stumble more while she returned to the ground.

Prue nodded as she swung her hand to strike the giant. “Let’s show these kids how we did it back in the day!” As the giant stumbles, Prue swung her hand once more to leave the giant stunned from the telekinetic bombardment. 

Piper cracked her knuckles. “This is the first time that the four of us are working together. Let’s make it count.” She flicked her fingers to blast the giant with all her might. The explosive blast knocked the giant onto its back, but it remained alive. 

Piper huffed as she prepared to strike again. Prue, Phoebe, and Paige would join as they laid hands on Piper’s back, channeling their magic into her. Piper flicked her fingers once more, generating a combustive blast greater than any that she unleashed in the past to vanquish something as strong as a giant without the Power of Three. 

Neena raised her swords overhead. The ground began to quake until it split apart, with several demons falling into a chasm. The demons howled, terrified as they didn’t know where Neena dragged them to in this infinite space. Neena lowered her arms as she turned back. “Charmed Ones! Go after the Hellfire Club! Stop them from fully claiming the All’s power.”

“Right!”

Hank slammed his hand to the ground. He constructed an icy slope that cut a path clear of the demons. “There’s your ride! Make it count!”

Chris nodded. “Appreciate it!” 

Mel slid on the icy slope. “Hurry up, slowpokes!” The others followed her lead, while everyone else stayed behind to attack the remaining demons.

Nomed noticed the Charmed Ones making their moves and quickly warned his superiors. Azazel, Zurie, and Seth were too lost in their spell to do much. It meant only Lamia, Zagon, and Abigor could stop the Charmed Ones.

Sliding to the depths of the All, the Charmed Ones jumped from the slope and braced themselves for a fight. Lamia, Zagon, and Abigor appeared to stop their advancement as the trio would ensure that the All fell to the hands of demons.

Joey prepared to grab on the bowstring when Macy stepped in front of him. Joey squinted his eyes, but Macy showed no emotion as she gestured to Mel and Maggie to follow. 

Macy clenched her fists. “Leave these three clowns to us. You go after the big guys!”

“You sure?” asked Joey.

Maggie grabbed a pair of wooden escrima sticks from her boots. She placed them together with a flash of pink energy illuminating the space for a second as she formed a bo staff. “Oh yeah!” She slammed her Empathic Staff to the ground, generating a wave of pink energy. “We got this!”

Mel pulled her sleeves back to reveal a pair of steel bracelets with the phases of the moon etched on them. The Time Bracelets glistened against the staff light. “Consider this payback for helping us.” She grabbed a pair of curved blades from her pockets. “Go save the multiverse.”

Chris grinned. “You, three, are so awesome!”

Wyatt nodded. “The baddest witches in the land.”

Macy chuckled. “We know. Now go!”

Wyatt, Chris, and Joey wished the sisters luck. They ran off to finish off Seth, Azazel, and Zurie to end this apocalypse. Meanwhile, the sisters turned to face Lamia, Abigor, and Zagon.

Zagon cracked his whip. He launched it towards Macy, who held it back with telekinesis. Meanwhile, Lamia moved at hyperspeed towards Mel, but Mel twisted her wrists slightly to activate her bracelets. Blue smoke floated from Mel as she moved at superspeed to compete against Lamia. Abigor swung Soulbane, aiming for Maggie’s head when she raised her staff to block the attack.

The fight commenced with the Vera-Vaughn sisters proving that they could compete against the Hellfire Club.

Macy’s curly hair bounced against her shoulders while she tugged on Zagon’s whip. Her telekinetic force ripped it from Zagon’s hands, leaving him disarmed. 

Macy tilted her head to the side. “You know. It isn’t cool to whip a black woman!” Macy slammed her foot to the ground. She created a telekinetic shockwave that struck Zagon hard, knocking the air from his body.

Mel kept up with Lamia as they moved at rapid speed against each other. They slashed at each other with the daggers and claws but would miss from how quickly the other moved. As Mel slid across the void, she managed to land against one of Hank’s pillars. It slowed Mel down, which appeared to give Lamia the advantage but gave Mel an idea. 

“I got this!” said Mel. “You’re going to see why I’m the Sister of Time!” Mel raised her arm to channel the passage of time around Lamia. Mel’s magic started slowing Lamia down slightly, which gave Mel the split second she needed to launch herself at rapid speed and deliver a series of slashes. Lamia’s blood splattered everywhere as she crashed against the column as time resumed its natural flow.

Maggie stood her ground while Abigor attempted to overpower her. Abigor spat numerous insults in a pathetic attempt to break Maggie’s spirit. However, Maggie persisted. She adjusted her grip on the Empathic Staff.

Maggie slid her left hand to the lower end of the staff. She maintained her strong stance to repel Soulbane’s attack. “You should save the misogynist shtick for someone who’d care. I’m too grown to fall for it.” She split the staff into its stick form. She quickly slammed the bottom end against Abigor’s gut, causing him to stumble as a flash of pink light illuminated the space. Before Abigor could recover, she smashed the other end across his face with a blast of pink light blasting him to the ground.

*~*

Arriving at the end of the All’s void, the brothers found themselves at the heart of chaos. Seth, Zurie, and Abigor floated above as they continued their wicked spell to claim the All’s power for evil. Dark energy gathered, signaling to the brothers that they had only moments left before it was game over.

Joey squeezed onto Apollo’s Bow. “How do we stop them?”

Wyatt squinted his eyes. Excalibur started glowing, prompting Wyatt to look at his sword as it appeared to give him some answers. “Separate them. Separate them, and we can break the spell.”

Chris nodded and raised Starbreaker. “Hit them hard so that they can’t maintain their concentration!”

They made their move, taking on a member of the Hellfire Club. 

Chris swung Starbreaker to generate its whip. He cracked the whip then launched it to ensnare Zurie as she floated in the distance. He tugged on the handle and channeled his telekinesis into the whip to rip Zurie from the others. Zurie would sail across the void, but not before Seth grabbed her dagger to maintain the spell. 

Joey raised Apollo’s Bow. He tugged on the bowstring to generate the golden arrow as he aimed at Azazel. He released the arrow with it sailing towards Azazel’s heart. Azazel raised his hand to create a black orb shield that prevented the arrow from reaching him. However, the impact resulted in an explosion that surprised Azazel as it sent him crashing to the ground, but once more, Seth would claim the athame.

Seth wrapped his bleeding hands around the dagger and athame. He continued to mutter the spell as he attempted to preserve the link from the blood.

Wyatt wouldn’t allow it to continue a moment more. He brought Excalibur close to his face as a golden light began to arise. He swung Excalibur, unleashing a blast of golden light that rocketed after Seth. The light slammed against Seth, sending him crashing. 

The impact cracked Seth’s back, but he’d recover soon enough. However, he also lost his grip on the athame and the dagger, which broke his contact with Wyatt and Neena’s blood. The brothers’ attacks disrupted the ritual, thus proving successful in preventing evil from claiming the All.

Seth struggled to his feet. His knees started to tremble as he saw only red as his rage directed itself towards the brothers. “You! You won’t take what is mine!” Seth summoned a fireball with metal rings but didn’t get the chance to strike. A blast of azure energy rocketed across the void, striking him in the chest. The energy blast didn’t vanquish him, but it left him wounded enough that he stood no chance at victory now.

The smoke settled with Neena approaching. Behind her, the chaos of the battle continued as the last of the demons died or fled. Nomed would shimmer towards Zurie’s side, while the Vera-Vaughn sisters defeated the other half of the Hellfire Club. 

Neena folded her arms across her chest. “It’s over, boy. You are done.”

Seth growled. “No! It can’t end like this! Not when we were so close.”

“It’s over.” Azazel stumbled next to Seth. He frowned at Seth, showing the slightest bit of compassion as he too believed that they would have succeeded. “Retreat!” He touched Seth’s shoulder. Black orbs swallowed them before anyone could strike next.

The others in the Hellfire Club began to flee too alongside the last of the demons. Their retreat guaranteed the safety of the All, leaving the Halliwells and their comrades as the clear victors.

Neena smiled as she tilted her head back. The sun that lingered in the distance brought warmth to her skin. “You are safe, love. We did it.”

*~*

In the aftermath of the battle, Neena led everyone outside of the All. They stepped out of the purplish-pink dome with the All now secured from evil’s hands. 

The moment that they vacated the All’s dome, the power that they felt began to fade. The All reclaimed its power from them.

Wyatt struck Excalibur into the ground. He turned to Veronica, hugging her tight. “I’m glad that you’re okay.”

Veronica smiled. “I’m glad you made it out too.”

More cheers followed while everyone expressed their gratitude for defeating the Hellfire Club. They saved the multiverse as they felt that they narrowly stopped the demons. Exhaustion soon washed over them too. They plotted their return home, especially for the Vera-Vaughn sisters, who needed to return to their universe. 

Maggie rested her head on Joey’s shoulder. “Well, it’s been really good seeing, you guys, but we should probably leave. Who knows what will happen on our Earth if we’re gone too long.”

“That’s a shame.” Joey held onto Maggie’s arm. “I didn’t get to tell you that I dated the god, Apollo.”

“You dated Apollo!” Maggie’s eyes lit up as she tugged on Joey’s arm. “Dish! I want to hear everything!”

PJ chuckled. “I like her. She’s crazy like me.”

Before they could continue their celebration, a pair of golden sparks descended from the sky. Neena groaned when she noticed the sparks and turned her back on them. The sparks erupted as two figures manifested, dressed in a set of gray robes. The figures appeared as elderly beings: one a bald man with pale skin and the other a black-skinned woman with curly dark hair. They stood close together as Piper muttered that they were Angels of Destiny.

The Angels of Destiny greeted everyone. They briefly glanced at Neena, who continued to shun them.

Chris crossed his arms. “Hi, angels.” He spoke bluntly. Although aware of their ranking, he didn’t show much reverence. “What can we do for you? You here to help us save the multiverse? Even though we already did that.”

The male Angel of Destiny chuckled. “You’ve done well, Charmed Ones. We feared that the All would fall to the Hellfire Club’s hands.”

“You saved the multiverse,” said the female Angel of Destiny. “And protected the Grand Design.”

Neena huffed. “I bet that still isn’t good enough for you.”

The Angels of Destiny frowned. They turned to each other before the female angel addressed Neena with a calming voice. “We did you wrong, Neena,” said the female angel. “We should’ve done more to find a way to keep you and your husband together. We wish to make things right for you. Especially now that your descendants have communed with the All.”

Neena raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

The male angel smiled as he gestured to everyone else. “The All left a piece of its power with them as they did not wish to abuse the All’s power, but preserve its connection. You are no longer needed to remain on the mortal plane to preserve balance.” The male angel joined the female angel in hand. A pillar of golden light manifested to reveal a garden on the opposite end where a man’s silhouette appeared, too, leaving Neena speechless. “It is time that you and your husband are reunited.”

“We cannot undo the harm we’ve done you,” said the female angel, “but we can end the suffering.” She turned to the others. “As for you. Your families are tied to the All now, more so than any other witch, but not to the extent of Neena’s exposure. But your families can now preserve balance, allowing Neena and her husband to remain together.” 

“That’s great!” cheered Joey. 

Neena smiled. Tears swelling up in her eyes as she processed the news and heard the joy in Joey’s voice. “Great.” She closed her eyes, tears pouring down her face. She nodded. “We’ll be together forever, my love.” She turned to everyone else. “Thank you, my children. Farewell.”

The female angel approached Wyatt and Veronica as they continued to hold each other. She pointed at Veronica’s belly. “They’ll turn out okay,” she said with a smile. “Don’t worry so much.” They grinned as they knew she referred to the baby. 

The male angel sighed. He maintained the portal for Neena while looked at everyone else. “Your victory against the Hellfire Club only served to slow them down. They will return stronger than before. And we cannot help you.” He frowned. “That young man. Seth. His existence defies the Grand Design. And so long as he works beside the Hellfire Club, then they are beyond our dominion.” 

Chris squinted his eyes. “How is that possible? I get that Seth is a powerful warlock. But is he really that powerful that he can defy the Grand Design?”

Neena stopped before crossing the portal. She glanced at the Angels of Destiny. “Tell them. Tell them who he is.”

Everyone found it odd that Neena appeared to know Seth’s identity. The strength of her voice also carried a fear that left them uneasy, especially when they noticed the concern on the Angels of Destiny’s faces.

The female angel nodded. She looked at Phoebe. “Seth...he is your son reincarnated.”

“My son?” Phoebe gasped. Piper, Paige, and Prue gathered around Phoebe, holding her as she started to weep. “No...Cole.”

“The Heir to the Source of All Evil,” said the male angel. “Seth is beyond our powers for he is a mix of the magic of the Source of All Evil and a Charmed One. He, too, is a Twice-Blessed child. You cannot underestimate him. He is one of the greatest threats that our universe’s ever known.

Neena frowned. She turned away from the portal and looked at Joey. “That is why I sent a messenger to you. To prepare you for Seth.”

Joey was about to question what Neena meant when it dawned on him. “Mark! You’re the one who sent Mark to give me that vision.” Joey gasped. “Seth becomes the Source?”

“It’s a possibility,” said Neena. “That is why you must prepare for the worst. I know his pain. It is something that nearly drove me to madness in the millennia that I’ve been alone. He will do anything to have vengeance. To avenge his father and his mother before she returned to good.”

Phoebe covered her face as she wept. When she thought she was free of Cole, it turned out her past would come to haunt her family. And it would bring harm to the universe itself. 

The Angels of Destiny whispered their farewells. They vanished in sparks of golden light, while Neena remained behind for a moment longer.

Neena went over to Phoebe. “My mistakes have harmed those that I care for too. Learn from them. And do not repeat them.” She turned to the brothers. “Stay strong. And remember your love for one another. Let that guide you in the coming battles.”

Neena smiled at everyone. “Blessed be.” She stepped into the portal, departing for the higher plane to reunite with her husband. 

Silence lingered near the All. They processed everything that Neena and the Angels of Destiny said, especially the trauma of an evil relative. Seth’s power and rage made far more sense to them now that they understood his connection to them. They would have to do everything that they could to stop him before it was too late.

Wyatt took a deep breath. He would make Seth a problem for tomorrow. “Let’s go home.” He held onto Veronica’s hand. 

They would join hands with everyone else too as they used their magic, vanishing in a swirl of white orbs that returned them to Halliwell Manor and would make arrangements to send the Vera-Vaughn sisters back to their reality too.

*~*

At their mansion, the Hellfire Club suffered in their defeat. Their injuries left them too exhausted to express their outrage. Everything ached, and they found themselves equally humiliated for allowing the Halliwells to defeat them when they were so close to victory.

Lamia rested her head against the wall. “So close. Yet so far.”

Zagon groaned. “What now? That plan failed spectacularly.”

Abigor rested Soulbane across his lap as he ignored the blood that trickled from his face. “We now run the risk of losing the demonic world’s respect. We must find a means to retaliate!”

Zurie huffed. “It took everything we had to reach the All. There aren’t many options left for us.”

Azazel struggled to take a seat at the table. “No. We can still claim the Underworld. There are none that can question our legitimacy. Not when the Source’s heir is at our side.”

Seth chuckled. He pushed himself away from the wall and collapsed onto a chair at the table. His bleeding hands were staining everything he touched while he scooted himself closer to Azazel. “Now, you want me. You were so close to tossing me to the pit. What changed, Azzy? Is this a trick?”

“No tricks.” Azazel sighed. He thought of their battle at the All and how they nearly acquired the ultimate power. “We need power. You have it. But you need resources which we have. It is time that we work together as equals if we’re to defeat the Charmed Ones. Their family is too strong for us to face divided. But we came closer to victory than any other evil before us.”

“A real alliance.” Seth reached out for Azazel’s hand. “The throne of the Underworld isn’t for one demon. We’ll share the power and become a greater threat than even the Source of All Evil. Agreed?”

Azazel took Seth’s hand. “Agreed!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooo. And that's how this section ends. Our favorite magical brothers survived and got plenty of help, but it's going downhill from here. They know who Seth is, and Seth is pissed from this failure. All I can say is that I'm hyped to write the next section and I'm sure you all will enjoy it. And hate me a little.


	25. Meet the Parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot! Welcome to the next arc of the story. Again, I'm taking it easy on, y'all, by giving it a slower start. But it won't stay chill. Seth and the Hellfire Club are plotting, and we got a new Charmed baby on the way so things are only going to get more intense. Brace yourselves. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

Four months followed since the Battle for the Nexus of the All and the Halliwells learning of Seth’s ties to their family. For those months, they spent it on edge as they expected a major attack, but none came. They could only assume that Seth and the Hellfire Club were still on recovery mode after their humiliating defeat at the All. 

The relative peace and quiet that they experienced meant that they could focus on their lives. For Wyatt and Veronica that downtime would prove particularly important. Veronica’s roommate had moved out last month, which meant Wyatt could properly move in, and they could start with their baby plans. Nearing her fifth month of pregnancy, Veronica had quite the baby bump as their child continued to grow. And, shocking Wyatt’s parents, they decided to leave the baby’s sex a surprise as they didn’t want to apply too many gendered expectations on an unborn child.

Moving in together proved not that hectic for them. They fell into a routine quickly enough as everything appeared to click. Wyatt didn’t even mind Veronica’s modern decor choices despite growing up in an old Victorian house. The apartment had enough old charm from the 1960s, minus the asbestos, to make it feel homey enough. 

Veronica sat on the couch. She had a blanket tossed over her body as she felt colder than usual since the baby was messing with her hormonal balance. She knew she’d probably get hot and would have to toss the blanket later, but she needed some type of comfort.

Wyatt came out of their bedroom, putting on a t-shirt as he finished his shower. He passed the second bedroom that belonged to Veronica’s roommate but would become the baby’s nursery. “Love! Do you know where my phone is?”

“Here!” She pointed to the sofa. Her hand soon fell back onto her belly when she noticed her phone vibrating. She sighed as she dreaded the incoming text. “Great! Their flight got delayed till midnight, so they’ll have to meet us tomorrow.”

Wyatt shook his head. “You make your parents sound like they’re as terrible as Jaime and Cersei.” 

Veronica snorted. “Worse. They’re like Ross and Rachel.”

“That bad?” Wyatt sat beside her. He positioned himself so that he could massage her shoulders, which felt like a godsend. “Then was it a bad idea for me to convince you to get back in touch with them? I didn’t think it was right for them to stay out of your life with a child on the way, at least not without giving them a chance to redeem themselves.”

“No, you were right.” Veronica sighed both from annoyance with her parents and the comfort she felt from Wyatt’s magical fingers. “I’m just not looking forward to it. At least I have a little more time to prepare mentally. We don’t have to deal with them until brunch. Which means we can enjoy our night!”

Wyatt smiled. “There’s the spirit!” He cheered while a knock at the front door caught his attention. He flicked his fingers to unlock the door since he already knew who it was. “Come in, auntie!”

The door opened with Phoebe stepping inside. Phoebe grinned while holding onto a bag of products. 

“Hey!” Phoebe took a seat on the armchair. She placed the bag onto the coffee table. “Here are the creams I promised. These were a real lifesaver in treating the sore back and ankles the last time that Paige, Piper, and I were pregnant.”

“Bless!” Veronica grabbed the first bottle of cream. She groaned from the movement but sank back into the couch as she read how to use the contents.

Wyatt looked at Phoebe, but she still hesitated to meet his gaze. Since they learned of Seth’s identity, Phoebe’s been somewhat M.I.A. from the family. They knew it would take time for her to process and grieve once more, but that’s also why Wyatt asked her to come over today. There were things that they needed to know before they confronted Seth again.

Wyatt relied on Veronica to start the small talk. They talked about baby stuff and her family coming for brunch. Naturally, the conversation drifted onto magical signs. So far, Veronica hasn’t experienced any changes with her magic, as the baby didn’t appear to use magic from the womb, as Wyatt did. It was both a blessing and worrisome since it meant that Veronica couldn’t be indestructible during her pregnancy, but also meant that they wouldn’t need to worry about their baby becoming some type of magical messiah. 

As the conversation continued, Wyatt took advantage of the baby talk to slide in to ask his question.

“Aunt Phoebe...I know this isn’t easy, but we need to deal with the Seth situation.” Wyatt clasped his hands together. He looked Phoebe dead in the eyes. “What would you have us do?”

Phoebe sighed. “I thought about this for years. If I had a second chance with him, but I also have to remind myself what it felt like carrying him.” Phoebe shook her head. She squeezed her fists together, the skin turning considerably pale. “I want to give him a chance. To help him. But all I can think about is Cole. All the chances that I gave Cole always put us in more danger. So, for Seth, we give him one chance to change. And if he doesn’t, we have to vanquish him. Without hesitation.”

Wyatt nodded. He was open to the idea of helping Seth, but he also grew up with countless stories of Cole. They couldn’t afford to take any chances, especially not with the baby coming. “Okay.” Wyatt put on a brave face for Phoebe and Veronica. “I’ll tell the guys. We’ll ready Power of Three spells and potions to use against Seth.”

“Good,” Phoebe whispered. “Good.”

Silence fell in the living room. It got a little awkward until Veronica interrupted things.

Veronica tossed the cream at Wyatt. “Massage this into my back. It’s your fault that I’m carrying this heavy ass kid.”

Wyatt chuckle, while popping the bottle of cream open.

*~*

Across town, Joey wandered down the aisles of a baby shop with Piper. Joey had his hands stuffed into his pockets, ignoring all the baby supplies. He listened to Piper squeal at everything in the store as she tossed whatever toy, clothes, binky, or other baby things she thought Wyatt and Veronica would need into the cart.

Piper grabbed a yellow onesie with an elephant on it. “How cute! Isn’t this cute, Joe?”

“ _Super kawaii_.” Joey rolled his eyes.

The lack of enthusiasm on Joey’s part went unnoticed. Piper tossed the shirt into the cart before moving onto the next section of the store. She kept going on about how excited she was to become a grandma. While the news bothered Piper at first, especially considering Wyatt and Veronica hadn’t dated for long, Piper adjusted. Now, she was all about the grandma life. Even Leo warmed up to the idea of being a grandpa.

Now, while Joey couldn’t wait to be a guncle, he also didn’t find the energy to compete with Piper. It never really dawned on Joey until now that Veronica was closer to popping, and things were heating up between Chris and Bianca just how different things were for Joey. While he was super young, all this baby stuff made him think about how different his life would be from his brothers.

Joey lost himself in thought, ignoring Piper as she waved a set of rainbow baby bottles in his face.

“Joseph!” Piper smacked his arm. “What is going on with you? You’re like a zombie. Please tell me you’re not on drugs. You can’t be a gogo dancer and an addict.”

“No. I’m not.” Joey took the set of bottles from Piper’s hand. He sighed. “I won’t have this.”

“This?” asked Piper.

Joey pointed to the store. “This. The baby excitement.” He tossed the bottles in the cart. “I’m gay. You can’t have kids from the way I have sex. And even if I find a guy who’ll want to have kids, it’s going to be more work than what Chris and Wyatt will have to go through. Surrogacy or adoption, there are no guarantees that I’ll have a kid. And...the way you’ve been acting, it feels like you’ll love me less because I can’t give you grandkids.”

Piper frowned and nodded. She sighed as she hugged Joey. “Yeah...I’m sorry, Joe. I shouldn’t have asked you to come with me. I can see how this will be so overwhelming. It ate me up when your dad and I were having a hard time getting pregnant and all the false positives. You have fewer options than I did.”

Joey hugged Piper while holding back his tears. “You’ll still love me even if I can never give you grandkids, right?”

“Of course! You’re my baby.” Piper kissed Joey’s cheek. “I’m always going to love you. With or without grandkids. And even if those grandkids are biologically yours or adopted, I’ll love them no matter what!”

Joey smiled. “Thanks, mom.” He looked across the store to the stuffed animals. “You know...if you’re getting the baby an elephant onesie. You should get them a stuffed elephant too.”

Piper’s eyes lit up. “We should!”

*~*

That night, everyone put on their dancing shoes and started to live it up at Big Nicks. They gathered for Raja’s going away party since she and her boyfriend Chad got job offers in Las Vegas. Raja and Chad were taking off Monday morning, so they would spend their final Saturday night partying up to say their farewells. Chris and Bianca naturally had to attend the fabulous part, while Joey was busy dancing his ass off on the stage. And since Veronica’s parents were coming in until midnight, that meant Wyatt, and she got to party too.

Veronica and Wyatt were near the stage, doing their best to harass Joey since they weren’t drinking. Veronica obviously couldn’t drink, while Wyatt abstained from the booze so that she wasn’t the only sober one. 

“Shake it, boy!” cheered Veronica.

“Werk, twink!” Wyatt tossed a few dollars bills.

Joey danced in a tiny pair of trunks. The strobe lights reflecting against his and the other gogo dancers’ skin because of the body pain. Joey snatched the singles from the floor while flipping off Wyatt. 

The odd scene made Chris groan. He chugged the last of his Long Island. He stood closer to the party guests since he knew most of the people there, for a change. Most of the crowd were other classmates or friends that Raja and Chad knew from their old jobs. Naturally, all the talks started to gravitate towards work, especially since graduation was two weeks ago.

Chris wished he had more alcohol. While he was the proud owner of a business degree from Berkely, it hadn’t exactly translated to a career. He still had the photography business he started to help pay for school, but it wasn’t growing. And while he loved having Bianca as a sugar momma, his pride also meant he needed to figure out something, especially after the big jobs he applied for fell apart.

Chris ended up sipping the melted ice without any alcohol to take the edge off. He started to drift away from the party when Raja purposely bumped into him. Raja appeared positively stunning in her silky maroon dress. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards a table. 

Raja pointed at the stage. “Your family is a little queer, and I love it.” She chuckled. “White people talk so much shit about Black families, but y’all just as messy. If not more so.”

“Wait until tomorrow. We’re doing brunch with Veronica’s parents.”

“Gasp!” Raja sipped her colorful drink while her eyes twinkled from excitement. “I forgot about that. You have to tell me everything that happens. Every. Messy. Detail!” She glanced towards Veronica’s baby bump. “Also, they’re not doing a gender reveal, right? The last one nearly burned the state to the ground.”

Chris chuckled. “Nope. They’re going to let the baby’s sex be a surprise!”

Raja sighed. “Thank the Lord! I might have enough time to leave this city without having an asthma attack.” She looked across from them. She waved to a bulky, dark-skinned man in a maroon shirt. “Chad! Babe! Get over here.”

Chad joined them. He wrapped his arm around Raja’s waist. “Yes, babe.” He kissed Raja’s cheek. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. I just wanted the attention.” Raja chuckled, while Bianca came back from the bar. “Well, hello, Ms. Bianca. Where you been hiding, gurl?”

Bianca passed Chris a refill. “Getting drinks, bitch. You invited the entire city to your farewell tour, so there’s a long line.”

Raja cackled. “Oh! I’m going to miss you when I’m gone. You’re the only one brave enough to come at me.” She blew a kiss at Bianca. “Now, I guess that means I have to get back my guests. If I don’t catch you before I leave, then know that I love you!” 

Raja gave Chris a quick peck on the lips without him freaking out as he was used to it, while neither Chad nor Bianca got offended. She then gave Bianca a peck too. She also hugged Bianca too, sticking around a second longer as she leaned to Bianca’s ear. “Put a ring on him, bitch. You know he’s too shy.”

Bianca smirked. She nodded and said goodbye to Raja. Her eyes drifted back to Chris, who had no clue that Raja said anything. He started drinking about half his Long Island, while Bianca seriously considered popping the question sometime soon. First, she’d need to see if Chris was even open to the idea of marriage.

That was a problem for another day. Chris was in no place to think of a long term future, not since his career plans weren’t happening as he expected. Right now, they needed to enjoy the party.

*~*

At Halliwell’s, the tension was unmistakable between Veronica and their parents as they crammed themselves into the private dining room. Piper had her staff bring in all the food to eat in comfort while ignoring all the sounds of the other guests. They gathered at the table, preparing to eat, but it didn’t go unnoticed how Wyatt tried to calm Veronica.

Alessandro and Cristina seemed perfectly normal. At first glance, especially given that they gave up their magic years ago. Veronica looked very much like her mother while she had her father’s smile. However, Alessandro and Cristina’s temperament differed as they spoke. Whenever the subject of magic came up in the conversation, it became hostile, which made Piper and Leo explaining how they met fairly awkward. Chris and Bianca had the same problem, while Joey soaked up the drama.

Wyatt did his best to keep the peace since he didn’t want Veronica to alienate herself from her parents again. “So!” Wyatt said, deflecting as another argument brewed. “You live in Santa Fe, right? How’s it over there?”

Cristina sipped her mimosa. Her ruby lipstick slightly stained the glass. “Beautiful! It’s a cozy little city. And I find the mountain views quite stunning.”

“Sounds nice.” Joey cut his waffles. “What about now that the grandkid is on the way? Do you plan on moving closer here, or are you going to be long-distance grandparents?”

Alessandro scooped more scrambled eggs onto his plate. “Cristina and I are open to relocating, but everything close is so expensive. If we move, it won’t be until long after the baby is born.”

Veronica sighed. She brought her glass of orange juice close to her lips. “Thank the gods,” she whispered. Wyatt poked at her leg so that she got the hint to behave.

“Speaking of moving!” Chris scooted his chair closer to Bianca. “We’re actually going to move in together. Probably in about a month or so.”

“Great!” said Wyatt. “And work? Do you have a new job lined up?”

Bianca held Chris’s hand while Chris shook his head. “There’s no point in waiting on a job to fall on his lap,” said Bianca. “We’ve held off moving in because of school.” 

“Well, hopefully, something falls into place,” said Piper. “And soon.”

“Now,” said Cristina, “what are the plans with the baby? Do you intend to bind their powers?” Veronica groaned while an awkward vibe spread across the table. Cristina shrugged. “What? It's a valid question. We bound your powers. It gave you a perfectly normal childhood.”

Veronica shook her head. “We’ll let the baby keep their powers unless it becomes a problem. Like what Piper and Leo did.” 

Alessandro rolled his eyes and gestured at Wyatt, raising the tension. “And look how well that boy turned out.”

“Excuse me!” said Piper and Leo.

Alessandro shrugged. “What? You really think we’re thrilled that a pornstar knocked up our daughter?”

Piper’s eyes lit up, while Leo stood up and glared at Wyatt. “Pornstar!” They knew that everyone at the restaurant had to hear Leo’s yelling.

Wyatt bit his lip. “Pornstar is a bit of a stretch. But yes, I worked in porn, filming and posting my own videos.”

“Not that there’s anything wrong with what he did!” said Veronica. “I know, and it doesn’t matter to me, which is all that counts!”

“That’s right!” Joey grabbed the mimosa pitcher and poured himself a glass. He wasn’t twenty-one, but there was no point in seeing this fight sober. “Almost every young person is doing some type of sex work now. Chris hooked up with a M.I.L.F. who bought him new lighting equipment.

Chris snorted as he drank his mimosa, while Bianca laughed since she was aware of that story. Chris punched Joey. “Says the twink that sat on a balloon and pissed himself while some dude watched!”

“For three hundred dollars!” said Joey.

“Dear lord!” groaned Piper. “What the hell is wrong with my family?”

“Magic!” said Alessandro.

Veronica slammed her fists on the table. She jumped to her feet, with Wyatt rushing to her side so that she didn’t upset the baby. “There is nothing wrong with magic! Your families would’ve been messed up with or without magic. Your family has mob ties! And, mom, your family works with cartels! You have no right to talk shit about my boyfriend because he got paid to have sex on camera!”

The flowers near the window began to rustle. A shimmering figure emerged with a high-pitched shriek. A young, fair-skinned woman nearly bumped into the table with her lime-green dress swaying and floral crown nearly falling from her sunshine-colored hair. 

“A Nymph?” said Bianca. 

The Nymph nodded. “Please! Charmed Ones! We need your help. The Sacred Spring is in danger!” She reached for Chris and Joey while her blue-eyes pleaded for Wyatt to join them. 

Joey chugged his mimosa as he got dragged away with Chris. Wyatt waited for Veronica to give him the signal that it was okay for him to leave. The Nymph led them to the flowers as she took them with her to parts unknown, leaving the tense atmosphere of the dining room.

Bianca whistled as she brought her glass towards her lips. “I’m so glad that my family isn’t the only disaster.”

*~*

The Nymph transported the brothers across the country to the Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan. It surprised them to see that the Nymph would bring them here since they didn’t think of this as a Sacred Spring. They noticed a few tourists on a nearby bridge, which seemed odd for a sacred location, but the Nymph urged them to follow. 

They stepped into the waterfalls but didn’t get wet. Instead, the Nymph unveiled a remote location that screamed Sacred Spring. They stepped onto a field of flowers with oversized trees obscuring a set of circular stones where they heard the sound of rushing water. But they also heard the sound of fireballs and energy balls. 

A group of Nymphs and a Satyr screamed while Nomed led six demons. They blasted the area, striking a dark-haired Nymph.

“Lily!” cried the Nymph that brought them here. 

Nomed looked away from the massacre. His eyes widened when he noticed the brothers. “No! The Charmed Ones are here! Retreat!” He grabbed a blue-haired demon, and they shimmered out together. A few more demons started to shimmer too, but not all would escape.

Chris fired an electrical blast at a red-headed demon, while Wyatt hit a bronze-skinned demon with a combustive blast. The other demons escaped with Nomed, ending the immediate attack on the Sacred Spring.

“Daffodil!” The Satyr stumbled towards them. A few scrapes covered his body, but he didn’t appear to have any major injuries. “You found the Charmed Ones. Thank Pan!”

The Nymph, Daffodil, steadied the Satyr as he stumbled. “Satyr Mar. Are you okay?”

Mar nodded. “I’ll heal.” He smiled at the brothers. “Charmed Ones. Thank you for coming. We needed your help. The old magic that protects the Sacred Spring is waning. If we had noticed sooner, then we could’ve properly fortified the place before the demons attacked.”

“It wouldn’t have helped.” Wyatt started to heal Mar, while Chris and Joey left to heal the other Nymphs. Golden light erupted from Wyatt’s hand. “That demon that led the others is Nomed. He works for the Hellfire Club, who are almost as great of a threat as the Source of All Evil.”

“Then, we are most fortunate that you arrived on time.” The light faded as Wyatt finished healing Mar. Mar began to move, gesturing Wyatt to follow him and Daffodil. They approached the spring, while Chris and Joey continued their healing. “This Sacred Spring contains old magic. The Native Ojibwe who lived here protected the spring, but as Europeans colonized this land, many Ojibwe were killed, and the survivors fled, so the Nymphs and I have worked to protect this land in their place.”

“We’ve been successful until now,” said Daffodil. “You must help us, Charmed One. The spring has the power to purify the soul. Even a demon would be purged from their wickedness.”

Wyatt squinted his eyes. “Purged of their sins? Why would demons want it then? I don’t see how being free of sin would benefit them.” Chris and Joey rejoined them, overhearing everything.

Chris glanced at the spring. The crystal clear waters had a pure aura that put his mind at ease, especially after the messy brunch. “Maybe the Hellfire Club wants the spring waters to attain some type of power? Something they can only get with a clean soul?”

“Or someplace.” Joey crossed his arms as his mind buzzed with thoughts. “That warlock that mom fought. Ames. He stole a Whitelighter’s orbing power to reach the Heavens. Maybe the Hellfire Club is trying to cleanse their souls so they can access the Heavens and attack the Elders?”

“An elaborate plan,” said Wyatt, “but given that they went after the Nexus of the All not that long ago, we can’t put it past them.” Wyatt stuck his hands into his pocket. “We should head home. The Book might have something that can help us protect the spring.” Chris nodded while Joey kept his distance.

Joey went over towards Mar and the Nymphs. “I’ll stay here. In case Nomed comes back, I can hold down the fort till you get back.” He wiggled his fingers. Sparks of electricity danced across his hand. “I borrowed Chris’s powers so I can put up a fight.”

“Okay.” Chris grabbed onto Wyatt’s arm. “We’ll be quick.

Mar turned to Daffodil. “Go with them, darling. Your wisdom can help them.”

Daffodil took Wyatt’s arm too. Light-blue orbs surrounded them as they departed for Halliwell Manor.

*~*

In the attic, Chris flipped through the Book of Shadows for anything they could use to protect the spring. He had Daffodil looking with him since something might catch her eye that he’d overlook, while Wyatt was busy gathering potions. Wyatt took anything that they could use to protect the spring without damaging it. 

However, the opening and shutting of the front door caught Wyatt’s attention. He stepped out of the attic and made his way downstairs to find Piper and Leo coming inside with Veronica and Bianca. There were no signs of Alessandro and Cristina, so Wyatt assumed they went back to their hotel. 

Wyatt tried to grin. “How did things go when we left?”

Veronica approached the staircase. She grabbed onto the failing while she struggled to climb to the second floor. “The fact that I didn’t go to labor early is a miracle. I forgot how frustrating my parents could get.” She kissed Wyatt’s cheek. “I’m sorry they went after you like that.”

Wyatt frowned. “Me too, but they’re not exactly the first people to weaponize my OnlyFans days.”

“Porn!” Piper tossed her jacket to Leo so that he could hang it for her. “Seriously, Wyatt? You did porn?”

“I had to pay for my music stuff somehow.” Wyatt shrugged. “And posting videos made me the most money.”

Piper groaned while massaging her forehead. “Where are your brothers? And the Nymph.”

“Chris and the Nymph are upstairs. And Joey stayed with the other Nymphs and their Satyr to protect the Sacred Spring from the Hellfire Club.”

Piper groaned once more. She shook her head as she couldn’t process this mess. “I need another drink.” 

Leo nodded. “Make mine a double.” He didn’t even look at Wyatt, reinforcing how awkward things felt for everyone.

Bianca made her way upstairs with them. She patted Wyatt’s shoulder. “They’ll get over it.” She looked at Veronica. “In fact, I have an idea on how to deal with your parents, especially from everything you said about their families. But it’ll take a little digging on my part.” Wyatt and Veronica wondered what Bianca could possibly mean. 

They went upstairs together as Chris came downstairs with Daffodil. 

“I found nothing.” Chris held up a notepad. “I made up a Power of Three spell to save the spring. We might need Excalibur for its holy power.” 

Daffodil didn’t bother to pay attention. Instead, something else appeared on her radar. She wandered down the hallway towards the bedrooms as Veronica and Bianca attempted to introduce themselves. “Something is here.” Daffodil continued to ignore everyone as she forced her way into Chris’s bedroom. Chris chased after Daffodil as she invaded his privacy.

It only got worse as Daffodil started scouring through Chris’s drawers. She found her way into his underwear drawer. She started tossing his boxer-briefs and trunks to the floor.

“Whoa! Hey!” Chris tried to stop Daffodil. “What the hell are you doing?”

Daffodil’s eyes widened as she found the red diamond that Chris kept hidden. “The Heart of Aphrodite! This is perfect!”

Bianca squinted her eyes. “You know about the heart?”

Daffodil nodded. “The heart carries the Goddess Aphrodite’s blessing. With it and a spell, this should secure the Sacred Spring from all evil!”

Wyatt grinned. “Perfect! Let’s use that fancy rock and save your people.” He leaned and kissed Veronica’s cheek. “I’ll be back soon, babe.”

“Okay. Be careful,” said Veronica.

Wyatt took Chris and Daffodil’s hands. Bianca waved Chris goodbye as she had no problem with them using the diamond to protect the spring. Bianca would rather see the diamond go to something good instead of whatever awful plan that her mother originally had in store.

They vanished once more in orbs, heading straight for the spring.

*~*

Wyatt, Chris, and Daffodil returned to the Sacred Spring at the right time. Screams echoed everywhere, as did more fireballs and energy balls. The Nymphs and Mar attempted to hide, while Nomed’s forced restarted their attack. Joey fought hard even as he was well outnumbered seven to one.

Joey dove behind a tree before springing back to his feet. He gathered electricity across his body before firing a powerful blast that vanquished a bald demon. 

A fireball sailed across the spring towards Daffodil. Wyatt stepped in front of her; a blue disk manifested to deflect the fireball. Chris orbed a boulder to smash the skull of a dark-skinned demon.

Meanwhile, a pale-faced demon knelt over the spring to fill a bottle. Nomed stood over this demon, firing a barrage of energy balls to distract the brothers. 

The pale-faced demon grinned. He handed the bottle to Nomed. “It’s ready, sir!”

Nomed grabbed the bottle. “Get us another!” 

Before the demon could steal more spring water, Wyatt struck the demon with a combustive blast. The demon screamed as it got blown to the Demonic Wasteland, while the force of the attack pushed Nomed to the ground. Nomed nearly dropped the bottle, risking it breaking, but managed to save it. 

Nomed groaned. “Damn it!” He shimmered before he suffered the same fate, abandoning the other demons that served him.

The surviving three demons panicked as they realized that Nomed abandoned them. They looked to the brothers then themselves as they knew that they couldn’t escape. Chris and Joey shot a pair with electricity as Wyatt blasted another. The demons erupted in fire and smoke as their existence ended. 

With the demons vanquished, they secured the spring. However, Nomed did escape with some of the water.

“Shit!” Wyatt shook his head. “They got some of the water.”

“Not much.” Mar stepped away from the boulder that the Nymphs and he hid behind. He took a deep breath. “I doubt they collected enough to purify a demon.”

Joey crossed his arms. “Let’s hope not.”

Daffodil approached Mar. She raised the Heart of Aphrodite. “Satyr! Look what the Charmed Ones had!”

Mar gasped. “The Heart! This is perfect.” He reached for his flute. He started to play a lovely melody, while Daffodil placed the diamond into the spring water. The other Nymphs gathered, and they began to dance around the spring, while Mar continued to play the flute.

Joey squinted his eyes. “What?”

“No question.” Chris went into his pocket to retrieve the notepad. “Say the spell so that we can protect the spring.”

Joey and Wyatt gathered around Chris as they began to recite the spell. “ _Ancient waters that offer purification. Block this land from evil’s damnation. Let our power protect this sacred location._ ”

From the spring, the Heart of Aphrodite shattered. The fragments of the diamond floated to the surface for a moment before it dissolved completely. A wave of red light washed over the spring that touched the Nymphs, Mar, and the brothers. It left a warm feeling in their hearts and placed their minds at ease as they knew the spell worked. 

Smiles appeared from everyone. The Sacred Spring had all the protection that it would need now.

Mar brought his flute to his chest. “Praise be! The spring is safe.” 

“Good to hear.” Wyatt groaned. “Now, I can go back to deal with my girlfriend’s awful parents.” Chris and Joey patted Wyatt’s back. They did not envy him in the slightest since they didn’t know how he’d put up Alessandro and Cristina. One brunch was all that it took to make them hate Veronica’s parents.

*~*

Nomed bowed while Seth towered over him. Nomed retreated to the mansion and delivered the bottle filled with water from the Sacred Spring. Seth stared at the contents, a slight frown on his face. No one else was at the mansion as the other members of the Hellfire Club departed for their individual missions as the next phase of Seth and Azazel’s plans loomed on the horizon.

Seth opened the bottle and sniffed the contents. He gasped like he inhaled pure gasoline. “Quite potent. It certainly is the real thing.”

“I apologize for not acquiring more, sir,” said Nomed. “The Charmed Ones interfered.” 

“They have a habit of doing just that.” Seth closed the bottle then teleported it to a vault for safekeeping. They didn’t need the Sacred Spring’s water yet. “Lucky for you, you brought us enough to make the mission work. Now, we wait.”

Nomed lifted his head. “Wait? Wait for what, sir?”

Seth went to his chair while smiling. “For my dear cousin to become a father. We strike when the Charmed Ones are at their most vulnerable: when Veronica goes into labor.”

*~*

Morning didn’t bring much joy as it only reminded Wyatt of yesterday’s drama. Even the minor distraction of protecting the Sacred Spring couldn’t distract Wyatt from the issues he has with Veronica’s parents. He wanted to play a good supportive boyfriend, but he wanted to punch their faces in so bad. 

Wyatt stabbed his pancakes. He finally got the chance to sit after making a mountain of food for breakfast, mostly to distract himself and also because Veronica had pancake cravings. The sweet syrup touched his tongue, allowing him a second to relax as he listened to the showering running as Veronica got ready to meet her parents for coffee. 

He enjoyed what little peace he could get as he finished breakfast while trying to get over everything. His phone started vibrating as he saw a text from Bianca and a few pictures attached. “Those motherfuckers!” He turned his phone over, wondering how best to use the ammo.

It wouldn’t take long before he got his chance. A knock at the front door told Wyatt that Veronica’s parents came over early. 

Pretending to be cheery, Wyatt had a massive grin plastered across his face as he opened the front door. “Hey! Alessandro. Cristina. A real pleasure.” He stepped away from the doorway so that they could enter. “Try to stay off the couch unless you like sitting on dried cum. And I can’t even promise that it is all mine.”

“Excuse us!” Cristina shouted horrified. 

Alessandro scowled. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Wyatt dramatically took a seat on the couch. “I’m just a filthy whore. Remember? You did all the snooping into my past.” Wyatt grabbed his phone. “Still, I think that’s better than I can say for the two of you. At least I’m not a killer.” He pulled up Bianca’s texts. Then, he hesitated as he needed to make a slight correction. “Correction. I’m not a killer, and I don’t put a hits out on other witches.”

Alessandro and Cristina fell silent as Wyatt showed the texts.

“I knew your families were bad, that's why you had to leave,” said Wyatt, “but damn! You were active participants.” Wyatt pointed at Alessandro. “You hired an assassin to kill her cousin.” He pointed at Cristina. “And you hired another assassin to kill her step-brother.”

“How did you find out?” asked Cristina.

Wyatt grinned. “You hired Phoenixes to do your dirty work. And my brother Chris is dating the reigning leader of the Phoenix Coven. She showed me your dirty secrets.”

Alessandro crossed his arms. “And? We know what we did to each other’s family. That’s why we left.”

“But I didn’t.” Veronica stepped into the living room. Her hair was still wet from the shower, and her makeup was only half done. She shook her head. “You made me feel like shit for keeping my powers because of the shit that your family put you through. And you come to attack the father of my child. How dare you judge us?”

“Vero!” said Cristina.

Veronica raised a finger. A spark ignited for a moment before vanishing. “No more excuses! I am done putting up with you. I asked you here because it is only fair that you get the chance to be part of your grandchild’s life, but if this is how you’ll behave, then you don’t deserve them.”

Veronica patted Wyatt’s shoulder, and he took the hint. He flicked his wrist to open the front door. “You can go. And don’t bother calling until you grow the hell up!” 

Alessandro and Cristina didn’t say a word. They grabbed their stuff and went back out the door with Wyatt swinging his wrist. The door slammed itself shut with locks turning so that they couldn’t come back inside. 

Wyatt got up from the couch and hugged Veronica tightly. “You are such a badass! Our kid is lucky to have a mom like you.”

Veronica smiled as she pressed her head against his chest. “They’re lucky to have you too. You’ll be a great dad that will stand up for them.”

“To us!” Wyatt kissed her forehead as they slid onto the couch to enjoy their day off without her parents.

*~*

Things started to chill out once Veronica’s parents left after their four-day visit. It also made things easier on the brothers as they could get Piper and Leo to get over everything that they learned during the brunch disaster. 

Chris worked on mending the bridges at Magic School. Leo needed some help with the filing since his assistant Mercy was away on maternity leave. Chris volunteered to get himself, Wyatt, and Joey back on Leo’s good graces.

A mountain of files covered Leo’s desk. They had to sort through everything, which was a mix of professors’ classes, returning students, and incoming students that still needed approval. It was all a mess, reinforced by the fact that Magic School hadn’t gotten fully digital yet. It would take longer, but Leo found himself thanking Chris numerous times for the assistance.

Much of the day past and they drank several pitchers of coffee before seeing an end to the paperwork.

Leo reclined on his chair. He flipped through the folder then groaned. “Damn! One short.”

“What?” Chris finished filing the new applicants’ paperwork. He closed the cabinet shut and locked it. “Short what?”

“An instructor.” Leo squinted his eyes. He threw the file onto his desk and leaned over to get a little closer to Chris. “Hey, bud! You’re still looking for a job, right?”

Chris crossed his arms. “You want me to teach at Magic School? You do know that I studied business, not education.”

“It’s not a general studies course. It’s for Advanced Combat Magic. And who better to teach the students then a Charmed One!”

Chris groaned. He needed a job, and the pay at Magic School was actually pretty good. “What’s the workload?”

“Twice a week for two hours with fifty students.”

“Do I get full benefits?”

Leo nodded. 

Twice a week wasn’t bad. Chris could use the income to keep his photography business going, and he’d have consistent work experience. It could work to his advantage even if he had no experience teaching outside of helping Joey, PJ, Tamora, and Paulina learn magic. Then again, that did mean he had some experience. 

“I’ll do it,” said Chris. 

Leo grinned. “Crisis averted! Welcome to Magic School, Instructor Halliwell.”


	26. Howling at the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeey! Welcome to yet another fun-filled chapter. It's a bit of a hairy one. And you'll find out why.
> 
> Also, I apologize if the formatting looks a little off. I use Grammarly to help with the edits, but they recently updated their system and I'm still figuring out how to use it so I fucked up how I normally format the text.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

Secluded on Vancouver Island, a dense forest served as a sanctuary for the Elven people who frolicked in a grove with their tree homes high above. Elves of all shapes, sizes, sexes, and color gathered around a great oak tree adorned with silver and gold ribbons. Candles floated in the air as the Elves invoked their peaceful magic to shield these lands from invaders who would destroy the delicate balance of nature.

The full moon illuminated the night sky while the Elves danced. They remained utterly oblivious to the dangers that lurked at the edge of their village.   
A short, elderly Elf woman with large-pointed ears stumbled towards the circle, while a taller, fair-faced Elf man with small-pointed ears. The Elf man escorted the elderly Elf. The dancers ceased their stunning performance, and all the Elves fell to their knees before the elder.

The elderly Elf raised her hand. “Children. Let us give thanks on this lunar cycle for our long peace.” The elderly Elf turned to the great oak tree. “Wise Oak! Key to Alfheim! Continue to grant us your blessings!”

The Elves raised their hands to the oak tree. “Praises to the Wise Oak!”

Power vibrated across the oak tree. A mist of silvery light washed over the oak tree and the Elves as they resumed their sacred dance. However, terror would soon befall the Elves. Their home had intruders. 

From the trees, groups of armed men approached the Elven village. A pair of men stuck closer together with their night vision goggles active, rifles raised. 

“You sure about this, agent?” asked one of the men. “They look so peaceful.”

“But dangerous,” said the other man. “Remember the Agency’s mission. We are to eliminate supernatural threats and harness their power if possible. You wouldn’t want Henrick catching you slacking, right?”

“No, sir.”

“Then get ready to shoot.” The man touched the wire on his ear. “That goes out to you, team. Prepare to shoot.”

Clicking echoed across the woods as agents from the Agency of Supernatural Containment prepared for their next assault. Even as this U.S.-based agency illegally crossed the Canadian border, these agents focused on their mission's “noble” purpose.

An agent raised his rifle and shot at the nearest Elf. The bullet sailed across the woods, striking a tall Elf woman in the back. Her screams echoed across the village and alerted the other Elves of danger. However, more bullets soon followed, giving them little time to prepare. 

Some of the Elves faded into green light, retreating to the safety of their treehouses. Parents and elders attempted to escort the young Elf children to security, but many tragically got shot in the process. A short Elf man managed to push an Elf girl behind a tree before a bullet struck his chest. 

Meanwhile, the Elf man from earlier grabbed the elderly Elf as he prepared to evacuate her to safety. “We must flee, Elder Tya!” The Elf man tried to move them. However, the elderly Elf, Tya, stood her ground. Tya closed her eyes to channel the oak tree’s power. But she wouldn’t get the chance to strike against the agents, not because of bullets but because something else would intercede on their behalf. 

A deep howl echoed across the woods. Before anyone could blink, a dark blur struck a pair of agents. Their screams deafened the communication links. The other agents heard the sound of bones shattering and men pleading for mercy as a beast growl. The beast’s growling grew louder with more of the agents following, while others attempted to shoot back or evacuate the area.

However, the beast moved faster and ruthlessly under the full moon. The agents quickly fell until only one survivor remained. The agent collapsed against a nearby tree, panicking as he knew that he was next. He cocked the trigger in an attempt to save himself only to feel something grab his shoulders. Before he could do anything, the beast tore the agent’s arms off. The trauma and rapid blood loss left the man dead within seconds.

The terror subsided with another howl echoing across the woods before the beast vanishing, leaving the Elves safe for another day.

Tya smiled as her people survived, but would sadly mourn the losses that they suffered. “Thank you, guardian.” She turned to the Elf man. “Rusin. We must prepare the burials.” The Elf man, Rusin, nodded as he began to follow her order. 

*~*

While the proper school year hadn’t begun yet at Magic School, many students returned for the summer programming. It meant that Chris would need to start work sooner than he expected as he tried to wipe some incoming seniors into shape. He didn’t know how he pulled off creating a class from scratch without any experience, but he did it. On his second week of teaching, he managed to get the students to work with him, and so far, the class ran without too many troubles. He figured that part of it came from the class still being excited that their professor was a Charmed One.

Chris found himself grateful that things were going so well. He stood with his students in a magical simulation of a warehouse. Magic School would create constructs for the students to face as Chris wanted to take it easy at first. He didn’t want to risk a student getting too beat up and dealing with angry parents’ wrath.

“Okay!” Chris finished taking attendance as he stared at the class of twenty students. It was a reduced capacity because of the summer programming, which meant slightly less work and that he could use these students as guinea pigs for his lesson plans. “As I promised, I got a treat for today. Come on out, boys!”

Light-blue orbs gathered as Wyatt and Joey appeared into the simulation. The class gasped as they hadn’t encountered all three Charmed Ones at once until now. It reinforced how special today’s class was and why they’d need to work that much harder.  
  
Joey kicked Chris’s foot. “Was telling us to come out supposed to be a joke because he’s bi and I’m gay?”

“Not everything is about your queerness, Joe,” mumbled Chris.

“But it should be!” Wyatt smirked at the class. “So, these are your kids. And we’re here to beat them into shape?” The class went silent from the mention of possibly fighting the Charmed Ones. Wyatt chuckled. “Joking! We’re here for demonstration purposes only, and moral support!”

Joey nodded as he gave the students a thumbs up. “Don’t fuck it up!” He gasped. “Am I allowed to swear in front of the students?”

Chris groaned. “No...you’re not, Joey. Goddess.”

The lesson began. Chris opened it with a live demonstration of them using their powers to combat clay-looking dummies. However, these dummies did fightback, which would require some strategy. 

Chris fired an electrical blast to stun a dummy before swinging his hand to slam the dummy against a wall. Wyatt blocked an approaching dummy with a force field before striking with a combustive blast. Joey flipped over a dummy and moved fast enough to get out of reach before creating an icy sledgehammer that he used to shatter the dummy. 

The students cheered from excitement to see the brothers use their magic in person. They didn’t hesitate to get involved next as they separated into pairs to face dummies.

Different magic flashed across the warehouse while the students battled the waves of dummies that Magic School created. It gave them a real chance of seeing what they could do. 

Meanwhile, Chris watched the students’ performance closely so that he could evaluate them.

Joey crossed his arms. He watched a dark-haired girl’s eyes flash pink as she unleashed a psychic blast to stun a dummy. Then, a bronze-skinned boy next to him scorched the dummy with fire. “They’re doing well.” Joey playfully bumped Chris. “You must be proud, Mr. Teacher!”

“Yeah!” Wyatt noticed a blond-headed boy turn his arm to steel then punch a dummy. Another blond-headed boy but much shorter, waved his hands to generate a gust of wind to separate the dummy’s limbs. “They’re pretty good. Less of a mess then we were at their age.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Chris smirked. “Speaking of messes. How’s Veronica doing with her parents?”

Wyatt bit his lip. “Things are...going. Alessandro and Cristina’s apology seemed sincere, but I don’t trust them. Not after the shit that they pulled in their past and at brunch.”

Joey grabbed onto Wyatt’s arm. “And that’s what I’m here for! I’ll direct my premonitions on them if they try some shady shit again, so you get some warning.”

“I would appreciate it.” 

Chris started marking notes on his clipboard of his students’ performance when they heard a scream. Chris looked up to find the dark-haired girl collapsing to the ground. An aura of pink light gathered, which unleashed a wave of energy that shot her partner and a nearby dummy across the warehouse. 

“Oh, shit!” shouted a few students.

“Professor!” cried the girl. “Help me!”

“End simulation!” Chris rushed towards his student while the warehouse vanished to reveal a large empty classroom. He couldn’t get too close as the pink energy struck his chest, knocking the air from his lungs. It took him a minute to normalize his breathing when another wave was incoming, this one large enough to attack the other students too.

Wyatt raised his arms to create a barrier around the girl, preventing the energy from striking anyone else. Meanwhile, Joey got closer to the girl. Wyatt dropped the barrier while the girl’s powers prepared to strike once more. Joey placed his hands onto the girl’s head with golden light arising from his fingers as he absorbed some of her powers and neutralized the psychic assault.

The girl sighed as she collapsed against Joey while he stopped draining her excess energy. Joey groaned as he suddenly had to carry her deadweight.

“Someone call a nurse!” Joey tried to maintain his balance, while Chris and Wyatt came to help him.

*~*

At Halliwell Manor, Piper gathered her sisters for a discussion with Phoebe. Piper went so far as to summon Prue’s ghost as the Seth situation proved Phoebe needed her sisters. They crowded the attic with Piper, Phoebe, and Paige sipping on wine, while Prue retained an ethereal glow from her ghostly state. 

Prue leaned against the Book of Shadows’ podium. Even in her ghostly state, she could feel the leathery texture of the book. “So, you gave your blessing to the boys to do whatever they need to stop Seth?”

Phoebe sighed. “Yup.” She sipped her wine. “Don’t try to convince me that I’m rushing into this. I already decided to vanquish Seth before he was born.”

“We remember.” Paige scooted a little closer to Phoebe on the sofa. Paige rested her head on Phoebe’s shoulder. “Your evil kid attacked me. And we got locked in the cage with you. It wasn’t an easy decision.”

“A decision that anyone else would’ve made too.” Piper refilled her wine. She wished she brought the whiskey instead as the thought dared to cross her mind. “Should we. No. We shouldn’t.”

Paige squinted her eyes. “Shouldn’t what?” Phoebe and Prue bore a similar inquisitive glance at Piper for her vagueness. 

Piper chugged about half the glass before she opened her mouth again. “Do you remember when I fell to a coma?” Piper pointed at Phoebe. “Back when you were still dating Drake. And the Elders stripped Leo of his memories.”

“Yes,” said Phoebe and Paige. 

“Nope,” said Prue, “I already died, but fill us in.”

Piper smirked. “Well, I ended up in this weird cosmic void. Trapped between life and death.” Piper approached the Book. Her hand grazed against the cover as she met Phoebe’s gaze. “I was at the risk of moving on, but someone was there with me, pissing me off enough to keep me here.”

Paige chuckled. “Who could piss you off that much?”

“Cole.” Piper sighed. She looked away from Phoebe’s shocked expression. “Cole was there with me. He hoped that by saving me that it would restore your faith in love.”

Phoebe huffed. “And help him escape the void?”

“No. He’s stuck there forever. That’s his cosmic punishment for his sins, so he can never return.” Piper sighed again. “My point is...should we try reaching out to him? He might be able to help us with Seth?”

Phoebe fell silent. The thought of getting Cole back in their lives caused her to shiver. Dozens of memories replayed in her mind. The few happy memories disappeared as far worse ones replaced them, including the numerous instances where he tried to kill them. “Never.” Phoebe shook her head. “We leave Cole out of this. Besides, we can’t risk that somehow Cole might trick us into escaping the void and join Seth.”

Paige shuddered at the thought. “Then, they’d be invincible.”

“It's too big of a gamble,” said Prue, “for now. We have to have faith that the boys can defeat Seth without Cole’s help.”

Piper nodded. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have suggested it.”

“You couldn’t help it,” said Phoebe. “We’re scared. And desperate. The fight at the Nexus showed us how dangerous Seth is; we can’t afford to take any chance against him.” Phoebe brought her wine to her lips. “We have to believe in the boys.” She chugged her wine as did Piper and Paige, while Prue wished she could get drunk.

*~*

Joey and Wyatt brought the girl, Sasha, to the school infirmary for treatment. Chris stayed behind to help the class then rushed over to the infirmary once class ended. The Magic School Infirmary didn’t differ too much from a non-magical nurse’s office. Visitors entered from a front office where the school medic had their desk, filing cabinets, and a station to do basic treatment. And behind a glass doorway was a set of beds and other standard equipment to treat students with a bit of a more severe case. 

Chris arrived, huffing hard when he noticed Leo in the infirmary too with Sasha. Chris gulped. “Dad! I’m not fired, am I?”

Leo chuckled. He patted Chris’s back. “You’re not the first professor to send a student to the infirmary because their magic went a little haywire. It’s just a good thing that your brothers got Sasha here quickly.” Leo escorted Chris inside the infirmary to reach Sasha’s bedside. Wyatt and Joey stood closeby too. “Wyatt healed Sasha, and she’s calmed down a bit.”

Sasha rubbed her sore forehead. “I’m sorry, Professor. I don’t get what happened. Everything was fine; then, I started hearing screaming.”

“Screaming?” asked Chris.

“Yeah.” Joey poked his forehead. “I heard it too after absorbing Sasha’s powers. It reminded me of when I absorbed Christy’s telepathy. It was a psychic whiplash.”

Wyatt crossed his arms. “A psychic whiplash from what though?”

Sasha and Joey shrugged. They didn’t have much of a clue when Joey decided to try and get a premonition. He reached for Sasha’s hand, which made him shudder. A set of images flashed across his mind as he saw Elves running then noticed armed men wearing uniforms that resembled the Agency getting attacked by something beastly.

“Gods!” Joey pulled his hand away from Sasha’s hand. “Elves? Why are you hearing Elves crying for help?”

“Oh!” Sasha gasped. “My grandmother. She was an Elf! Is that why my powers lashed out? My quarter Elf blood heard their cries for help?”

Leo nodded. He started piecing what Joey saw, and Sasha said together to help them. “This isn’t the first time that something like this has happened. It’s a good thing it happened now. We can do something about it.”

“Right!” Joey went over to Wyatt and Chris. He grabbed their arms. “I know where the Elves are located. We can go rescue them!”

“From a demon?” asked Chris.

Joey shook his head. “No. The Agency is after them. This is Erotia part two.”

“Alright!” Wyatt sighed. “Guide us, brother. We have some Elves to save.” He concentrated on the location that Joey projected to Chris and his mind. They started to orb, leaving Magic School as they set their destination for Vancouver Island.

*~*

Light-blue orbs gathered in the damaged Elven village. The few Elves out panicked for a moment until they recognized the orbs as being tied to Whitelighters. The Elves relaxed as Wyatt, Chris, and Joey properly manifested. The Elves hesitated once more because of the outsiders when Elder Tya stepped away from Rusin and her Elven guard.

Elder Tya smiled. The few wrinkles on her youthful face scrunched more from the gesture. “That magic. You’re the Charmed Ones. Are you not?”

They absorbed their surroundings. They noticed bullet holes on the trees, damaged treehouses, and bloodstains throughout the woods. 

Chris nodded as he approached Elder Tya. “We are. I also teach at Magic School when one of my students felt your cries for help. What is the situation?” 

Elder Tya gestured for them to follow. She led them to the oak tree, with Rusin stepping closer to continue acting as her shield. “Last night, we offered our prayers to the Wise Oak. It is here that we guard the entrance to sacred Alfheim, the ancestral homeland of the Elven people, and a great fountain of power.” Elder Tya sighed. “Humans interrupted the ritual and attacked us. We still do not know why they attacked, but we were fortunate that a beast saved us.”

“A beast.” Joey recalled seeing something attacking the Agents from his premonition. He knew it was something beastly, but he hoped that the Elves would know more. “I had a premonition of the humans that attacked. You’re not their first victims. They’re part of the Agency of Supernatural Containment; their goal is to contain or destroy magic. They attacked the refuge of Erotia back in December.”

“Erotia?” Rusin placed his hand over his heart. “I know of that place. I lived there about two centuries ago. Back when I was still a young, rebellious Elf.”

Wyatt chuckled. He stared at Rusion in his form-fitted, sleeveless tunic and wavy slacks. Rusin appeared somewhat proper as his outfit resembled the other Elves’ clothing, minus the sleeves. “Looks like you still got the rebellious spark in you.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “You’ll be happy to know that Erotia is safe. We stopped the Agency from claiming it like we’ll protect your village.”

Elder Tya grinned. “You do us great honor, Charmed Ones. We are expecting these humans to return tonight. If it is magic they’re after. Then they will likely try to interrupt our ritual. The last night of the full moon of the Summer Solstice. Afterward, we will not perform this ritual again until the Autumnal Equinox.”

“Then, it looks like we need to prepare for a fight.” Chris looked at Wyatt and Joey. “You up for it?”

“Always.” Joey stared out to the woods, wondering what beast lurks out there. He recalled the screams of the agents as they died, which worried him. He didn’t know if this beast might do them harm or if it was something friendly.

Joey could only pray that the beast liked witches.

*~*

Midnight approached with the full moon high above the sky. As it got later, the brothers worked on reinforcing the magical wards around the Elven village. Their magic combined with the Elves’ magic to protect the village, possibly reducing the risks of the Agency’s next attack killing more Elves.   
Sparks of witches’ magic joined the complex web that Elves created. Lights twinkled like stars danced across the village. 

Wyatt finished casting the spell over Elder Tya’s home. He sighed as he stepped towards the wooden rail, looking down from the treehouse to the rest of the village. He spotted Chris on the west end and Joey near the southern gate. 

Footsteps approached Wyatt from behind. Elder Tya stepped out from her home, a hand on her stomach. “You’ve done good work, young one. The village feels safer.” She stared down from the railing. Another smile crossing her face. “There is something familiar about you. But I know we never met.”

“That’s odd.” Wyatt scratched his head. “Oh! Maybe she’s why. My parents hired an Elf nanny to take care of me when I was a baby. Are you sensing traces of her magic?”

“Ydria!” Elder Tya chuckled. “That’s what I sensed. Ydria’s magic still lingers on you.” Elder Tya stared at Wyatt. She reached for his hand, holding it gently. “There is more to you. Twice-Blessed child, but you are torn.” Elder Tya’s pupils turned pale. Threads of emerald magic arose from her body. “Duty to your brothers, to your destiny, to your partner, and a future child. Yet there is great fear in your heart. Of the darkness that you saw within yourself.”

Wyatt shuddered. “How can you tell all this about me?”

Elder Tya massaged Wyatt’s hand. Her touch felt so soothing and touched something deep within Wyatt’s soul too. “We Elven elders wield great magic. We are tied to the old magic that created this world.” She released Wyatt’s hand and patted his arm. “The turmoil you feel, young man, is a burden that we all feel. You will struggle, but it is through the adversity that we see our true strength. Do not waver. Stand tall. Stand proud. And you will overcome the darkness.”

“Thank you, Tya.” Wyatt didn’t know what to make of Elder Tya’s words. They sounded too vague, but he also knew not to ignore the advice. The words meant nothing to him today but might come of use to him in the future. 

Wyatt and Elder Tya were about to join the others on the ground when they heard gunfire. Wyatt pushed Elder Tya towards her treehouse, while other Elves began to flee. Wyatt orbed to the ground to join Chris, Joey, and the Elven guards.

Armed men swarmed the village from all angles. However, the bullets that they fire found resistance against the new wards. The bullets would lose momentum and fall to the ground, harming no one, but they still couldn’t take the risk. Rusin urged the Elven guard to raise their arms, while Wyatt took his brothers to the frontlines.

Wyatt projected a massive orb shield to cover much of the village. The agents tried to fire against the barrier, but it did no good. 

A man with a deep voice called the agents to ceasefire. From the woods appeared a bronze-skinned man in a black suit. He seemed far too calm, leaving everyone else feeling nervous as they didn’t know what to expect.

The man removed his night vision goggles. He squinted his eyes. “Halliwells. I read the file on your family. You are quite the troublemakers.” 

Chris clenched his fist. “Like you’re on to judge. Armed Americans on foreign soil? You looking to inspire a coup like in Chile or Guatemala?” 

The man chuckled. “We don’t need anyone's permission. Not when it comes to magic.”

Joey rolled his eyes. “All cops really are bastards.”

“Stand down, witches,” said the man. “I’m Commander Henrick. I run the Agency now and will not hesitate to attack your family for interfering in our operations.”

Wyatt glared at Henrick. “Fuck you, shit bag! Magic isn’t for you to toy with!”

Henrick raised his fist. It gave the other agents a signal to fire, but they got distracted from a deep howl. Silence befell the woods. Everyone looked around to find the source of the howling when one of the agents screamed. They saw the agent vanish into the trees as something grabbed him. 

Blood flew as the village’s lights showed something out in the woods. Henrick ordered the agents to shoot, but the beast moved faster. In the chaos, Chris made his move. Chris swung his arm to blast some of the agents, while Wyatt maintained the barrier. The Elves kept close to the oak tree and treehouses to protect their people.

All while Joey cried. The psychic powers that he absorbed from Sasha meant that he could sense the agents’ agonizing deaths. Their cries for mercy. Their sheer terror. However, he also felt something else in the woods. He felt someone in pain, someone in torment, someone confused, and someone begging for help. The psychic echoes of everything made his heartache. He wanted to make the pain stop. 

Pink energy flashed across Joey’s forehead as he harnessed the psychic energy. He ran out of Wyatt’s barrier into the woods. The agents started to flee while Henrick tried to regain control of the situation. Meanwhile, Wyatt and Chris screamed at Joey to get back. However, the psychic echoes of the pain distracted Joey so that he couldn’t hear them.

Joey ran into the woods, venturing further from the village. It only got darker, and he moved to feel the source of the pain. He could hear rustling from the trees, and it didn’t come from him, but likely originated from the beast. He wondered if the pain he felt came from the beast that protected the village.

Joey tripped over a tree’s root. He crashed hard but managed not to break or sprain anything. However, he did roll towards the edge of a small cliff with a river beneath him. Pink light flashed across Joey’s eyes. He looked behind him as he felt the psychic pains getting louder. His vision adjusted to the darkness as he saw quite the husky figure step out from the trees. He gulped, bracing himself for the worst. 

A low growl greeted Joey first. The husky figure stood over six-feet tall and had quite the muscular physique. Thick black and silver hair covered every inch of his body. Its clawed hands stretched as it stared at Joey with a wolf-like face. Its dark yellow eyes gazed onto Joey. 

Joey gulped. “You’re a werewolf. Right?”

The werewolf growled. It crouched lower and started to walk on its hands too. Its strong frame appeared all the more imposing, but Joey could still hear the psychic torment from the werewolf’s mind as something else lurked within. Joey slowly extended his hand out; he tried to clarify that he meant the werewolf no harm. And since the werewolf didn’t immediately attack, Joey figured that the werewolf knew that too.

The werewolf got closer to Joey, sniffing the air around him to understand his scent. The werewolf stood on its legs as it easily towered over Joey in every way possible. The werewolf’s dark eyes softened a bit but continued to growl. However, the sound of crunching twigs caused the werewolf to look behind them.

“Die, beast!” came a squeaky voice. 

Joey caught a glimpse of an agent tossing something at them. It took a second more for Joey to realize that the agent threw a grenade. The agent didn’t waste a moment more on them as he started running at full speed.

The werewolf moved to go after the agent but hesitated. The werewolf glanced at the grenade, which landed near Joey’s feet. The werewolf growled and lunged after Joey, wrapping its hairy body around Joey as it pushed them from the cliff. It came at the perfect moment, too, as the grenade exploded with the dirt raining over them while they crashed into the water. 

They hit the water hard. It struck them like bricks which injured even the werewolf as it continued its best to shield Joey as the river’s current dragged them down the stream.

*~*

The few remaining agents retreated from the village with everyone, including a frustrated Henrick, escorting them out. The gunfire that bombarded the village ended, leaving the Elves with some security.

Wyatt dropped his barrier. He closed his eyes to sense Joey but felt nothing. “I can’t find Joey!”

Chris closed his eyes too. “I can’t find him either! Shit!” Chris looked in the direction that Joey fled. “Why can’t we sense him? Did the beast or the agents get him?”

“Maybe not.” Rusin approached them. He kept a bow raised with an arrow drawn in case an agent attacked. “Our wards are designed to disorientate intruders. You must know with certainty to reach our village. It’s how we’ve stayed safe all these centuries. Those same wards are blocking your tracking abilities.”

“Fuck!” Wyatt shook his head. “Why did you have to run off, Joey? We have to find him!”

“Your brother is safe.” Elder Tya’s voice boomed from above. She stared at them as she grinned then pointed out to the woods, in the direction of the river. “The beast that protects our village. It means no harm to us. Nor does it mean to harm you or your brother. I believe that the beast is with him.”

Chris shook his head. “We have to rely on a beast not to eat our little brother. I don’t see how that’ll happen.”

Wyatt looked at the frightened and nervous Elves. They couldn’t leave the village to search for Joey, not when Henrick and the Agency could return at any moment. They couldn’t be that cruel, not after it was Joey’s premonition that warned them of the Elves’ situation. “We have to believe in Joey.” Wyatt placed a hand on Chris’s shoulder. “You and I have to protect the Elves. You think you can keep it together for now?”

Chris clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He sighed since they didn’t have much of a choice. “Joey will be fine alone. He’s pretty crafty.” Chris turned to Rusin. “What do you need us to do for the village now?”

Rusin lowered his bow. He couldn’t hear or sense the agents. “We arm ourselves for battle and check our traps. Come. You can help.” He led Chris and Wyatt to the treetops so that they could use the moonlight and act in the shadows.

*~*

Jagged rocks dug into Joey’s skin, but something heavy kept him pinned. Joey groaned as he started to regain consciousness and noticed the smell of wet dog. It took him a while to remember what happened as he recalled seeing a werewolf, an agent throwing a grenade, and getting pushed off a cliff. The memories buzzed across Joey’s mind, while he also realized he only had mild pains for falling from the cliff. 

That’s when Joey noticed a furry arm across his stomach. He slowly turned his head and resisted the urge to scream when he noticed the werewolf. Luckily the werewolf was unconscious, so Joey didn’t have to worry about immediate danger. Still, he needed some distance. He lifted the werewolf’s heavy arm and started to slide across the muddy ground. 

Joey sighed that he managed not to wake the werewolf. He went into his pocket to grab his cell phone only to find that it broke from the fall. It would do him no good to call for help. He tried to call Wyatt and Chris the Whitelighter way, but it did no good either. He couldn’t feel them, and he saw no sign of the Elven village. Not that he could since it was still too dark outside for him to see.

“Damn! What am I supposed to do?” Joey stepped back. His soaked sneakers cracked a twig. 

The werewolf’s eyes lit up, and it sprang to its legs. Its massive arms flexed as did much of its body. Joey yelped. The werewolf turned to Joey. It’s expression softened somewhat, but it remained on edge, which worried Joey for his safety. 

However, Joey began to feel the psychic echoes of confusion and pain that propelled him to leave the Elven village. Joey had to recall what little the Book of Shadows had recorded of werewolves but started thinking of Wendigos, which would do him no good. Joey shook his head. He decided that his best chances of surviving came from using Sasha’s power to communicate with the werewolf.

The werewolf approached closer when a flash of pink light erupted from Joey and touched the werewolf. The werewolf paused as they made eye contact. 

Joey still saw the werewolf but could hear the human mind that lurked within the beast. He pushed to the human mind, connecting them. He gasped as he saw dozens of images, which made him feel as though he had several premonitions at once. He could see a young boy playing with his family, going to the mosque, going to school, and grew into adulthood. The images darkened. The young man fled from his home while men in dark robes attacked his family. The young man got lost in the woods, but instead of finding safety, he instead found another werewolf waiting. 

The werewolf howled. Joey’s efforts forced the werewolf to recall his human memories. Joey closed his eyes, holding back his tears while maintaining their mental link.

“It’s okay,” Joey thought-projected his voice. “I don’t want to hurt you. I want to help you.”

“Blood. Pain. Death.” The werewolf’s voice came as a twisted growl. “Too. Much. Ache. Me. Bad.”

Joey nodded. He extended his hand to the werewolf. “I know you think that. I can see it. I can feel it. But you’re not. There’s a good man buried within.” Joey closed his eyes, digging deeper into the memories to find it. The werewolf’s name. “Let me help you come back, Carver.”

The werewolf growled. He hesitated for a second when something appeared in his mind. Joey saw the werewolf’s memories, but the psychic channel worked both ways. The werewolf began to see Joey’s life: he saw Joey become a Charmed One, the pain of losing Mark, Christy almost killing him, and the fears he felt while facing Seth and the Hellfire Club. 

The werewolf’s eyes widened. His massive form trembled from Joey’s memories, but it also awakened his humanity. He extended his beastly hand. His claws grazed against Joey’s skin ever so gently with the psychic link reigniting. A blast of pink light washed over them, pushing them back a few steps. The werewolf didn’t retaliate. Instead, he howled once more as he shifted back to his human form. 

Hair fell to the dirt. The muscles contracted. And bones cracked. The werewolf’s howls echoed for a moment before until only a naked, olive-skinned man remained. His thick toned body contrasted against the beastly, muscular frame of his werewolf body. Although not as hairy like a werewolf, the man still had quite a bit of body hair. The man collapsed, struggling to adjust to the changes in his body. He groaned while he looked down to see a cut on his leg. 

Joey focused on the situation and tried desperately not to blush. Joey tried not to focus too hard on the handsome naked man who’s entire life story he saw. And Joey certainly tried not to focus on the man’s chest that lurked perfect for sleeping against. Joey unzipped his sweater and passed it. “Here, Carver. Something to cover up with.”

The man looked at Joey. Some tears trickled down his dark brown eyes while he took the sweater. “I haven’t heard anyone say my name in so long.” He spoke softly but had a firm bass backing his voice. “I barely even remember the last time I wasn’t in a wolf form.” He wrapped the sweater around his waist, turning it so that he could over his genitals. 

Joey knelt over now that Carver covered his modesty. “I’m Joey. Joey Halliwell.”

Carver nodded. “Carver Obeidallah.” He chuckled. “You already knew that thought, though. I...how did you get in my head?”

“I’m a witch. And I borrowed another witch’s telepathic abilities.” Joey sighed as he stared at Carver’s hairy bleeding leg. “I wish I also borrowed my brothers’ healing powers.” He shrugged off his t-shirt to cover the leg to help stop the bleeding. “Aren’t werewolf’s fast healers? Shouldn’t you have taken care of this?”

“Normally, yes, but it looks like I shifted back too soon.” Carver kept staring at Joey. He flinched as Joey applied more pressure. 

Joey nodded. He eased up the pressure since he didn’t want to risk Carver shifting back. “Too bad I can’t call my brothers. And I doubt my Whitelighter, Brody, would be much help either.”

“Whitelighter?” asked Carver.

Light-blue orbs gathered. Joey yelped, while Carver’s eyes turned yellow for a split second as Brody materialized. 

Brody beamed. “Thank goodness! I found you, Joey!” Brody focused on Joey only as he ignored Carver. Carver started calming down when he noticed Joey’s familiarity with Brody. “Your dad warned us that you went to help the Elves. I’ve been waiting in the Heavens for your call in case the Elven magic blocked you from finding each other.”

Joey smiled. “Good thing you did. Can you help my friend Carver? He’s hurt.”

Brody shook his head. He apologized to Carver for not noticing him. Joey removed his t-shirt from Carver’s leg, allowing Brody to see the injury. “Damn! That looks nasty. What happened?” He placed his hand over Carver’s leg, beginning to heal.

“The Agency attacked us. Carver saved me, but it looks like he got injured in the fall.” Joey sighed. “Good thing he’s a werewolf.”

Brody finished healing Carver, the cut completely sealed, and the blood vanished. His eyes widened as he stared at Joey. “A werewolf?” He shook his head. “Your family finds the strangest men. Then again, who am I to judge? I’m one of them.”

Carver glared at Brody. “Thanks? I take it that Whitelighters are something odd.”

“They’re guardian angels.” Joey touched Carver’s shoulder. Their eyes locked in another gaze for a second that made Joey blush, while Carver smirked. “We. We should get back to the village. Who knows if my brothers and the Elves need help.”

Brody nodded. He helped Joey to his feet while Carver got up by himself. “I know their location. I got it before I left the Heavens so I can take you directly to them.” Brody glanced at Carver. “Need a ride?”

Carver nodded. “The Elves. Their elder left food and supplies for me since I came to these woods. I wanted to protect them from those boots. It was the least I could do.”

“Good guy.” Joey held Carver’s hand. They smiled while Brody grabbed their shoulders. Light-blue orbs gathered around them as Brody orbed them to the village.

*~*

Wyatt and Chris didn’t have the time to mount a search mission for Joey. 

Despite the werewolf attack, it didn’t take Henrick long to return with reinforcements. Henrick led more agents into a fight against the Elves on ATVs. The gunfire came from all corners of the woods that made it a challenge for Wyatt and Chris to protect the village. 

Wyatt projected barriers where he could, while Chris unleashed telekinetic blasts on the ATVs. Agents fell from the ATVs and crashed everywhere. But Henrick brought enough agents that it wasn’t easy for Wyatt and Chris to slow them down. It gave them a bitter reminder that they only stopped the Agency last time because Joey absorbed Apollo’s powers and kicked everyone’s ass.

Luckily, the Elves proved plenty helpful. Rusin and the guard showed no mercy on the agents. While Wyatt and Chris couldn’t fight to kill because the agents were still human, the Elves didn’t need to fret over such an oath. Arrows sailed across the woods and struck the agents. Most would survive the injury, but a handful would die. 

Even as the sunrise slowly approached, Henrick’s agents continued the attack. Even if they couldn’t reach Alfheim, they wanted to punish those that resisted their authority. 

Light-blue orbs gathered with Brody, Joey, and Carver appearing. They yelped as they ducked before the bullets could attack them. Wyatt and Chris heard Joey’s scream, which left them beaming with joy to see that he was safe.

“Joe!” shouted Wyatt. “What the hell happened?”

Joey pointed at Carver. “I found the beast. And he’s a werewolf.”

Carver tried to wave at Wyatt and Chris while he kept low. “I’m Carver!”

“Pleasure!” Chris flicked his wrist and orbed a gun from an agent’s hand. “We could use some help finishing these guys!”

“I got an idea.” Carver slipped away from Joey and Brody. The sweater that Joey lent Carver slid from his waist. Carver’s body shifted as his sturdy frame changed to pure muscle and more hair started covering his body. His nails grew into claws, and bones cracked while he adopted a beastly form. His handsome human face transformed into that of a beastly wolf that howled. 

The howl echoed across the woods, startling the agents. 

Henrick aimed his gun at Werewolf-Carver when Wyatt interfered. Wyatt raised his hand, orbing Henrick’s gun to his palm. 

Joey closed his eyes and touched his forehead. He recalled what Sasha did during the training session. Pink light flashed from his body as he unleashed a wave of magic that stunned the agents. The agents collapsed to the ground while Henrick dropped to his knees. 

Disarmed and humiliated, Henrick gasped as he glared at them. “This isn’t over.”

Chris shook his head. “It is, buddy.” He glanced at Brody, who came prepared. Brody orbed to Henrick and blew Memory Dust at him. Henrick coughed for a second then passed out, while Brody spread the powder to erase the other agents’ memories. 

Once they had nothing left, Wyatt implanted a false memory. He convinced Henrick and the agents that they followed a wrong lead, and the mission was a failure. Wyatt joined Chris and Brody in orbing the agents far from the woods to no longer harm the village. It would take some time, but it was well worth it.

It was dawn before everything settled down. 

Carver shifted back into his human form once the fight ended. An Elf handed Carver a cloak to cover his waist. 

Joey slowly approached Carver as the smoke settled from the fight. “Why did you end up here? I mean...I saw your memories, but they were pretty scattered.”

“You remember that my parents were killed?” Carver frowned as he dug up the memories. “I ran from home, got lost in woods outside our home in Denver, and got bit by a werewolf. After that, I stayed with my uncle and aunt, but I had a hard time adjusting so I ran away. And I kept running north to get away from everyone.”

The sound of crunching leaves alerted them that they weren’t speaking alone. Elder Tya joined them.

Carver squinted his eyes. “You. You left stuff for me. Why?”

Elder Tya grinned while she tilted her head to look at Carver properly. “I felt your lost soul and knew you needed help. I expected you to approach the village, but you never did, so I gave you what we had to spare. Now, I’m glad that I did. It looks like your inner wolf respected my gesture enough to help protect us.”

“It did.” Carver shook his head. “He did. The wolf is me.” He glanced at Joey. “Your psychic therapy session helped me connect to the wolf. Things feel calmer now.”

Joey squeezed onto his sweater while shuffling his feet. “You’re welcome. Happy to help.”

“Yo!” Wyatt led Chris and Brody. “Things are calm now. So we should properly head back home before everyone freaks out.” Wyatt turned to Elder Tya. “That is if you think you’re safe. We don’t want to leave you unprotected.” 

Elder Tya patted Carver’s back. “We’re safe, Charmed Ones. You’ve done your part. This one plans to stay here a little longer, right?”

Carver chuckled. “Yeah. I’ll stick around.” Carver walked over to Joey. He kept a hand on the knot that kept the cloak covering his lower half. “Thank you, Joey. For helping me.” He leaned closer and whispered into Joey’s ears. “And sharing your memories and pain with me too.” Carver kissed Joey’s cheek without anyone else noticing, but the kiss made Joey blush. Carver saluted the others as he went back to Elder Tya.

“Farewell, friends!” said Rusin. 

“See ya!” Chris waved at them while wrapping his arm around Joey’s shoulder. “Don’t hesitate to call us if you need anything.” Wyatt and Brody joined them too as they orbed from the Elven village, leaving it far safer than when they arrived.

*~*

Wyatt, Chris, and Joey returned home to celebrate their latest win against the Agency. But it came pretty bittersweet. They saved the Elves, but they became increasingly aware of the Agency’s threat. They feared that it wouldn’t take much longer than they’d have to do something far more severe then beating the Agency in a fight. However, they would leave that decision to the Elders. 

Joey went downstairs that night for water. He spent the last day thinking of Carver because of the intimacy of that psychic link. Now that Joey knew that Carver saw his memories too, it made Joey feel something far deeper. Joey wished that Carver didn’t stay at the Elven village, but he would respect that decision. 

Joey took a sip of the icy water when he heard footsteps. He looked to the door to catch Leo stepping inside the kitchen.

Leo’s vision took a bit to adjust to the dim lighting. He smiled. “What are you doing up so late, Joe? Having a hard time sleeping?”

“Yeah.” Joey bit his lip. “You? Did mom’s snoring wake you up?”

Leo chuckled. “Maybe I’m thirsty too.” Leo poured himself some water. Leo noticed that Joey wasn’t so easily convinced. “Okay. The snoring woke me up. But if you tell your motherー”

“Secret’s safe.” Joey rubbed his fingers against the cold glass. His mind drifted to Carver once more and the intense emotions he felt in such a short time. It sent shivers down his spine. “Hey, dad. Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?” Leo took a seat at the kitchen island with Joey. “Still jealous over Wyatt and Chris having Whitelighter powers?”

Joey laughed. “No. I prefer having immunity to Darklighters' poison.” He looked at Leo. “When did you first realize that you loved mom?”

The question startled Leo. He couldn’t recall any time that Joey or his brothers asked him such a question. His brain sorted out a response once he got over the shock. “Well, good question. I knew I felt something for your mom when I started working here as the handyman. I knew a spark was there, but the more I talked to her, I tried to convince myself that I just cared, but it was too much. I don’t know how quickly I fell in love with your mom, but it didn’t make much.” Leo chuckled. “Why? You met someone?”

Joey blushed. He never considered talking so openly to Leo about his love life, but somehow, he felt that Leo would understand better than anyone. “Carver.”

“The werewolf?” Leo shook his head. He didn’t like the thought of Joey falling for a werewolf. “But you just met him.”

“I know. It doesn’t make sense. I think it’s because of that psychic link I opened with him. It felt like we had dozens of conversations within seconds. Sasha’s power allowed me to see deep within Carver, and I didn’t realize it until he thanked me for sharing my past with him. The link worked both ways. He saw everything about me too.”

Leo nodded. “Do you think it’s just the magic playing with you? Or are these emotions genuine?”

Joey shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll find out in time. He’s with the Elves, so if I keep feeling something even with him not around, then maybe it is a sign of something more.”

Leo sighed. He shook his head at the thought of picturing a werewolf son-in-law. “Well, at least he’s not a demon or a god. And his first act when you met wasn’t to kill you but protect you. Dogs are pretty loyal.”

“Dad! That was a horrible joke. And a little racist since he's Iranian.” Joey rolled his eyes and got up from the chair, while Leo cried his apology.. “Goodnight!” Leo waved at Joey as he left the kitchen.


	27. Hunter and Prey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey howdy hoooooos! So, today is my one year anniversary on here. Wowww. Exciting! Which makes me extra happy for writing this chapter.
> 
> Anywho, kudos and comments are appreciated!

Veronica sat on the sofa, struggling to find a remotely comfortable position. Her pregnant belly bulged quite large as she entered the eight months mark. She escaped the point of hating everything and everyone, but she reached the point where she wanted the baby out of her. She wanted the pregnancy over with so that her body would go somewhat back to normal.

It would also help get over the annoyance with the banging on the wall. Veronica groaned while reaching for her steaming mug of chamomile tea. The tea failed miserably in trying to calm her down as the noise only made her more frustrated. 

“Breathe, Vero.” Veronica sighed. “Breathe.”

Luckily, the banging of the hammer stopped within a few seconds. Veronica grinned as she went back to watching TV until she heard Wyatt’s pattering feet.

Wyatt slid into the living room, hammer in hand as a smile remained plastered across his face. He dropped the hammer on the table and reached for Veronica’s hand. “Babe! Come on! You have to see it.”

“No!” Veronica groaned once more. She forced Wyatt to do all the heavy lifting since she had no motivation to leave the couch. “Let me rest. I don’t care. I’m too tired, and your damn kid is driving me crazy!”

Wyatt squinted his eyes. “It takes two to make a baby, Veronica. This is your fault too.”

Veronica glared at Wyatt. “Do you really want to go there?”

Wyatt gulped. He knew he crossed a line. “So, the nursery!” He brought Veronica to the baby’s nursery. He finally got done with setting almost everything up, but they would have to wait until after next week’s baby shower before he could finish. 

Wyatt painted the nursery walls, a calming green with little stars painted throughout the room. A cute, powdery blue crib was left pressed against the wall and directly looked across the window for a park view, not that the baby would care. On the smaller wall, Wyatt hung a series of picture frames that had them and their families there. Naturally, more would go up once they started taking the baby’s pictures. Neatly placed on one corner of the room was a mountain of stuffed animals that Piper and Leo bought for the baby. And at the corner of the room, Wyatt placed a rocking chair that Veronica’s parents bought as one of the many apology presents that Wyatt and Veronica received. 

Veronica covered her mouth as she gasped. Tears started to trickle down her face. “Oh, gods!” she cried. “It’s really happening.”

Wyatt nodded. He wrapped his arm around Veronica’s shoulders. “I’m not quite as handy as my dad, but I think I did a good job.”

“It’s perfect.” Veronica hugged Wyatt. “I love it. I’m sure they’ll love it too.”

“They will.” Wyatt gently poked Veronica’s belly. “Or else I’m grounding them. Wait! I have the power to ground a kid.”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Don’t let the power go to your head, Wyatt. That’s how you develop a horrible relationship with your child that takes years to fix. Just learn from my parents.”

Wyatt shrugged. “At least they don’t think I’m a dirty whore anymore. Well, they’re not saying it to my face. So that’s something, right?”

“It’s something alright.” Veronica ignored the thoughts of her parents as she wanted to focus on the nursery instead. “This room is so beautiful.” Wyatt kissed Veronica’s forehead while he continued to hold onto her as they appreciated his handiwork.

*~*

On the first night of the full moon, a sweaty young man ran as far as he could into the woods outside San Francisco. He didn’t know how long he spent running, but he knew that he couldn’t stop for even a second. If he did, he was as good as dead. 

Yet, as the young man ran, he had to admit how lost he was as he had no idea where he was going. He kept running without much thought on where he could find safety. This deep into the woods and late at night, he likely wouldn’t see another soul other than the person hunting him. 

The young man tripped over a tree root. He crashed hard to the ground and felt his knees tore since he wore a pair of flimsy shorts. The coppery scent of blood hit him hard, making a deep growl escape from his throat. 

Bones cracked, while reddish hair grew along his body as his clothes started to stretch apart. His eyes flashed yellow as he shifted when he heard the snapping of a twig behind him. He turned his head as he was midway in shifting into a werewolf. 

A howl escaped from the werewolf as he prepared for a battle that would never come. Before he could strike, the crack of gunfire echoed across their corner of the woods. Pain rippled across the werewolf’s body as it collapsed to the ground. Copious amounts of blood poured from the silver bullet wound in his head forehead as the hunter went for a kill shot. 

The werewolf shifted back into his human form, but now as a corpse. The life was gone from the young man’s eyes as his naked body went limp and cold.

The hunter placed his gun back into the holster. He pointed his flashlight at the young man’s corpse. He huffed a deep masculine huff. “You’re not the one.” He clicked the flashlight off and started to leave the woods. “Miserable mutt. At least I ended it for you quickly.”

The hunter departed as he knew that he’d need another lead if he were to complete his mission.

*~*

Lights flashed across Big Nicks while the DJ played the hottest songs. Usually, Joey would work on the stage and shake his ass, but today he got placed on shots’ duty. He worked the crowd and used his sex appeal since he wore only a pair of briefs and a bowtie to get the guys and drunk women to buy shots. In half an hour, he already cleared most of his tray of shots. And he made about fifty dollars in tips.

Work helped distract Joey from all his thoughts. A month after meeting Carver, Joey still couldn’t get the werewolf out of his head. Joey even absorbed Piper and Bianca’s powers to erase all traces of Sasha’s telepathic abilities, but the memories and emotion still lingered. He spent all month wanting to return to the Elven village to kiss Carver again.

Joey fixed the strap of his briefs since it slid a bit after bumping into a bridal party. He approached a group of guys that crowded a booth. “Hello, boys. Care for a drink?”

A bearish man eyed Joey and licked his lips. “If it includes you, then yes.”

“Sadly, no.” Joey leaned closer and presented the tray. “Two dollars for the shots. Any takers?”

Three of the guys took shots and left the money on the tray. The bearish man took the last shot and left a ten dollar tip, which got Joey to give him a wink and blow a kiss in his direction.

Joey made his way to the bar when he felt a guy grab his shoulder. His instincts told him to fight only to gasp when he got a good look at the guy. “Gordon!”

Gordon grinned. He discarded his shirt, and his body drenched in sweat. “Hey, Joey! It’s been forever.” Gordon stopped dancing and stepped away from the dance floor, which gave Joey the chance to notice a group of equally sweaty and hot, Asian guys.

Joey squinted his eyes. “You’re gay?”

“Yeah.” Gordon shook his head. “You didn’t know?”

“I guess I didn’t make it a point to know everything about my brother’s friends.” Joey took Gordon to the bar, leaving the tray there so that the bartender could refill it. “So, it’s been forever. You didn’t come to Wyatt and Veronica’s housewarming. You were at work?” 

Gordon scratched his head. “Yeah. Work. And school. I’m working on my Information Science degree.”

Joey smiled. “Cool. If you’re that busy, I guess it makes sense. That’s why you’ve been away for so long.”

“Yeah.” Gordon frowned and gave a deep sigh. He scooted a little closer to Joey. “That’s. That’s not the only reason I’ve kept my distance. I kept it inside for so long, but I can’t keep quiet. I need to tell someone. The reason I’ve kept my distance is because of Wyatt.”

“Wyatt?” Joey squinted his eyes. However, it would take but a second for it to dawn on him when he noticed the pained look on Gordon’s face. “Oh! You like Wyatt.”

Gordon nodded. “And he’s with Veronica. And going to be a father.”

Joey bit his lip. He didn’t know exactly what to say to Gordon in this situation. He felt terrible for Gordon, but it wasn’t like he’d push for Gordon to break Wyatt and Veronica up. “I’m sorry that this is happening.” Joey patted Gordon’s arm. “I won’t say a word. I’ll respect your privacy.”

“Thanks, Joey.” Gordon looked at the bar to see it was surprisingly empty. “I think I need a drink.”

“So you know,” Joey leaned closer to Gordon, “the baby shower is next week. If you’re up to it.”

Gordon nodded. “I know. I got the invite. Maybe I’ll go to that, at least.”

“Cool.” Joey took his tray of shots and wished Gordon well. They went their separate ways as Joey went back to work, while Gordon went back to his friends.

It pained Joey to think about Gordon’s messy situation. It sounded like the basic drama from a horrible CW show. Joey tried not to get himself more involved in any of it than he already did since it involved Wyatt and Veronica. At least the drama distracted him from thinking about Carver.

The night continued without much drama, but plenty of distraction from an increasingly drunk clientele. 

Once the club closed, Joey helped with the clean up before he finally made his way home. He decided to take the scenic route home by using the Metro. Unlike some of his coworkers who also had long trips home, Joey didn’t worry about overextending it by relying on public transportation. Plus, he had magic on his side, so it wasn’t like he needed to worry about creepy perverts or gang members.

Joey left the club fully dressed. Even as sunrise was only an hour away, it felt oddly hot. Joey shrugged off his sweater and wrapped it around his waist. He put on his earbuds to listen to music when he felt a chill. He paused the music and went down the nearest alleyway that he could find. 

Joey clenched his fist. Magic burned along his skin as he channeled Bianca’s energy balls. 

A whistling noise echoed across the alleyway. Joey flicked his wrist to unleash an energy ball that blasted an athame in midair. As the smoke settled, Joey spotted a gray-skinned demon in a black suit.

The demon glared at Joey with its amber-colored eyes. “Damn you, witch! You won’t stop me!”

Joey rolled his eyes. “I’m a fucking Charmed One! Did you even think twice about trying to attack me?”

The demon didn’t get the chance to respond. A howl alerted them that they weren’t alone. The demon and Joey looked around only for something large to crash against the demon, pinning him against the wall. The alleyway was dark enough that Joey couldn’t see clearly, but he could hear the demon’s agonizing screams as something dismembered the demon. 

Flames flashed across the alleyway as the attacker sent the demon to the Wasteland. Joey summoned an energy ball since he didn’t know if who attacked the demon was friend or foe. Then, Joey would hear another howl. A familiar howl. 

Stepping closer, a bulky werewolf in an overstretched dark vest and leggings started to decrease in mass. The werewolf shifted back to his human form with Joey gasping as he saw Carver’s smiling face.

“Hey, Joey.” 

The words barely left Carver’s lips when Joey ran over and kissed him. Their arms locked around each other as their lips stayed together, sending chills all over their bodies. The month they spent apart only aggravated the emotional connection that they shared. But this reunion meant that they could openly express their desires in a way that they couldn’t during the brief time they spent together at the Elven village. And the short kiss that Carver gave Joey couldn’t compete against this one. 

Joey felt compelled to kiss Carver, the kiss giving him as much of a rush as he felt whenever he kissed Mark, Rahul, and Apollo. Although, it was a slightly different rush. With Mark, it was all new, the rush of first love. With Rahul, it was comfort, a restoration of faith in love. With Apollo, it was power, the uncontrolled desire that love brought. But with Carver, the kiss was perfection; it was a love that Joey never wanted to lose.

Joey pulled back. “Sorry. I should’ve asked first.”

Carver smirked. He licked his lips, tasting Joey’s sweaty and sweet scent. It was a taste he’d never forget, and one that he hoped that he could experience again. “No. I would’ve done the same.” They stepped a bit closer to a nearby store’s light. 

Joey noticed that Carver had clothes on this time. The dark vest and leggings stretched to match Carver’s body’s current size, making it look like he was heading to the gym. “You’re not naked?” Joey squinted his eyes. “Why were you naked than when we met?”

“This is Tya’s doing.” Carver tugged on the fabric. “Special Elven fabric. It conforms to sudden expansions and contractions of the body. So I don’t have to worry about nudity anymore when I shift.”

“Cool.” Joey stretched to rub Carver’s arm. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be protecting the Elves?”

“They’re safe.” Carver licked his lips. He gently held onto Joey’s hands. “And I wanted to see you again.”

Joey blushed. “Oh.” Joey chuckled since he didn’t know what else to say. However, his body would speak for him as he let out a long, deep yawn. He blushed more, shaking his head. “Oh, gods. I guess that means I need to get to bed.”

Carver laughed. “Do you live nearby?”

“Nope, I was going to take the train.” Joey shuffled his legs because he didn’t know the best way to ask his question. “Do you have a place to stay?”

“I don’t. I just came into town.”

Joey nodded. He squeezed onto Carver’s hands. “Then, would you like to crash at my place for the night?” He looked at the sky, which was getting a bit brighter from sunrise. “Or...morning.” 

“Sure.” Carver gestured that he would follow Joey’s lead. 

Instead of using public transportation, Joey decided to get them home in a hurry. He squeezed Carver’s hand and used Bianca’s Shimmering power to teleport them straight to the manor.

*~*

“Sure. I love that idea!” Piper had her phone on the coffee table while she scribbled on her notepad. She had Cristina on the phone as they discussed the baby shower. “How many boxes do you think I should get?”

“Depends on the sizes we get. I’ll get the diapers and make the cake when I come next week. It doesn’t take that long, and the supplies are easy enough to find at a dollar store.”

Piper nodded. “Great! If you handle the decorations, then I’ll focus on the catering. I got all the supplies I need to make a cake. Oh! I found a recipe to make this cute owl cake. With any luck, an owl cake will guarantee we have a smart grandchild.”

“Sounds perfect! And pretty gender-neutral. I’m sure Vero and Wyatt will love it.”

“They better. Or else I’m kicking their butts.” Piper finished making some more notes. A giddy smile spread across her face as she thought of this stunning baby shower. She looked away from the notepad when she heard the front door open and spotted Chris and Bianca coming inside. “That reminds me. If you need us to pick up anything, I can send Chris and Joey to do our shopping. Joey also took that Friday and Saturday off, so we’ll have more hands here to help.”

“Great! This stuff isn’t complicated, but it does take time, so we’ll need all the help. I’ll text my list to you, and whatever you can’t get, I’ll pick up when I get there. See you next week, Piper. Bye!”

“Bye, Cristina!” Piper hung up the phone while Chris and Bianca joined her in the sunroom. “At least she’s not acting like a cunt anymore.”

Chris gasped, while Bianca laughed. “Mom!” Chris crossed his arms. “You need to be more careful. What if she was still on the phone? Wyatt barely mended fences with them. The last thing he needs is for you to start drama.”

Piper sighed. “I know. I know. But I still don’t have to like them!” She closed her notebook and tossed it on the table. She grinned at them. “How was brunch?”

“Fantastic!” Bianca wasn’t exactly thrilled with the change of subject. She enjoyed all the family drama since the Halliwells’ _Real Housewives_ storyline was far better than the _Game of Thrones_ -style drama of her family. “That place serves the best chicken and waffles ever! I highly recommend them.”

“Sounds delicious. Too bad that you didn’t bring me any.” Piper got up from the sofa and straightened her shirt. “Now, I guess that means I have to make lunch.”

Chris curled his lips as Bianca glared at him. “I told you we should’ve asked your mother if she wanted food.”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve never doubted you.” Chris followed Piper to the kitchen with Bianca not too far behind. However, they stopped in the hallway when they heard several sets of footsteps from the staircase.

Piper and Bianca squinted their eyes as they saw Carver following Joey without knowing who this stranger was, while Chris looked stunned.

Joey grinned, still dressed in his pajamas while Carver wore a t-shirt and gym shorts that barely fit him. Years ago, Joey stole some of Wyatt’s clothes since he enjoyed sleeping in oversized clothing during winter. The clothes worked for Carver, although his thicker frame meant that it looked a little snug.

Carver crashed in Joey’s room, sharing the bed. Their bedhead was out of control as they didn’t do much to clean up after their few hours of sleep, and they did only sleep. They were far too exhausted to do much else. 

Chris waved at Carver before turning to Joey. “Why is Carver here?”

“That’s Carver?” asked Piper and Bianca.

“Hi!” Carver said, waving at them in an awkward attempt to defuse the situation.

Joey groaned. He shook his head since they had bigger things to worry about based on what Carver told him this morning. “So, we kinda need to talk, but we need Wyatt to get here first. Carver’s in trouble.” 

*~*

Lunch and a hot shower later, Carver started feeling like an average person again. 

Carver cleaned up as best as he could, but when he stared at his reflection, it dawned on him how badly he needed a haircut and a shave. His curly black hair looked like an unruly mess, and his beard appeared far longer than he usually liked it. Spending so much time in the woods and amongst the Elves, he focused more on surviving and living with his wolf that he forgot how to better care of himself. 

“I need to do a Target run when this is over.” Carver changed into a flannel shirt and jeans that belonged to Leo. Leo’s clothes fit Carver far better than Wyatt’s old clothes as Carver didn’t feel like he’d rip the clothes from flexing.

Carver stepped out of the bathroom in time to catch Joey, who came to check on him.

Joey took in Carver’s appearance and felt himself getting a little aroused. He saw Carver naked before, but Carver looked so much hotter in Leo's clothes. He spoke softly, “I am a basic gay with daddy issues.”

Carver squinted his eyes. Even with his enhanced hearing, he didn’t quite catch what Joey said clearly. “Excuse me?”

“Nothing!” Joey smiled as he reached for Carver’s arm. “Wyatt’s here and upstairs. They’re waiting for you to tell them everything.”

Joey led Carver to the attic. There they found Wyatt, Chris, and Bianca gathered around the Book of Shadows to review the werewolves’ entry for themselves. Meanwhile, Piper hung out with Veronica as they discussed baby shower plans.

Carver stuck his hands into his pockets as Joey quickly ran through, introducing Wyatt and Veronica. Carver greeted them and stepped closer. “Thanks for agreeing to help. I didn’t know who else could help as I didn’t want to endanger the Elves.”

“So you endanger us?” asked Veronica as her pregnancy hormones kicked in a little.

Wyatt smirked. “It’s okay. We’re the Charmed Ones. Our job is to protect the innocent.”

Bianca approached Carver. The heels of her boots echoing across the attic. “What exactly are you running from that the Elves can’t help you with?”

“A hunter.” Carver crossed his arms. “Last week, we found a werewolf corpse near the village. I didn’t even know there were other werewolves on the island, but Elder Tya’s healers examined the corpse to see that the werewolf wasn’t local. That werewolf was on the run for some time before the hunter killed him.”

“That sucks,” said Chris, “but how does that affect you? Did the hunter make a move on you?”

Carver nodded. “Four nights ago, the hunter attacked me. I escaped, but that’s when I decided I couldn’t stay with the Elves without risking their safety. I left with their blessing, but that’s when I found a dozen more werewolf corpses across the Pacific Coast. They all had silver bullets in their skulls.”

Piper squinted her eyes. “That’s excessive. One or two makes it sound like the hunter killed werewolves that were causing trouble, but that many sounds like they’re trying to put werewolves on the extinction list.”

“That’s what I’m thinking too,” said Carver. “That’s why I wanted your help.”

Wyatt glanced at the Book of Shadows. “Werewolves can get pretty violent, but for the most part, they keep their distance from people, especially larger human settlements on a full moon when they’re more prone to bloodlust. If this hunter is purposely going after werewolves, then this sounds more personal.” Wyatt closed the book. “This hunter is killing indiscriminately, so we have to stop him.”

“Great!” Carver smiled. “So, how do we stop this hunter? I found a dead werewolf nearby before I found Joey, so I know he’s in town.”

Joey went to a cabinet to grab a map and a scrying crystal. “Do you have anything from the hunter?”

Carver nodded. “I have a bullet that he used to kill the other werewolf. Will that work?”

“Perfect! So we can find out where this hunter is, then we can stop him before he targets anyone else.” Joey laid the map on the table. “Can you get the bullet for me, love?” He didn’t realize the words escaped his lips until it was too late. Carver grinned as he went back to Joey’s bedroom, while everyone else gave Joey a cheeky grin since Joey made it abundantly clear how much he liked Carver.

Joey waited until Carver was downstairs before telling everyone to shut up as he started to scry even without the bullet.

*~*

That night, the brothers and Carver set their trap. They waited until the dead of night before making their move on the hunter as they narrowed down the hunter’s general location.

Joey ran down a secluded trail of the Muir Woods, far from any park rangers that might patrol the area. He acted afraid with his hysterical screaming and panicked breathing, while Carver chased him in his werewolf form. Wyatt and Chris lurked nearby, keeping their distance as they waited for the hunter to strike. 

Joey jumped over a wooden rail with surprising grace that made him regret not joining his high school track team. He ran deeper into the woods as Carver’s howling got louder, but stayed close to where Wyatt and Chris could still track him. They spent a while keeping this game going with Joey getting tired from all the running and screaming. 

Running behind a Redwood, Joey took a moment to steady his breathing. He wanted this chase to end already because his feet couldn’t take it anymore. 

In dropping his guard, Joey became oblivious to the low growling behind him. A hulking figure approached Joey, with the growling growing loud enough for Joey to notice the werewolf. Joey thought Carver found him but instead saw that this werewolf had reddish fur and appeared slightly more massive than Carver. 

Joey gasped. He stumbled away from the tree. “Holy shit! There’s another one!” He tried steadying his hand to create an energy ball, but he felt too afraid to make a move. 

Luckily, before this werewolf could attack, Carver emerged from behind a tree with the Elven fabric stretched against his muscular frame. Werewolf-Carver tackled the red-furred werewolf, saving Joey. The red-furred werewolf howled as it launched himself after Werewolf-Carver, them rolling on the ground as Joey watched in shock. 

“Move it!” A deep voice echoed behind Joey. Joey looked to find an older, pale-faced man with a scruffy beard holding a gun that he had aimed at Carver.

“No!” shouted Joey.

Light-blue orbs appeared with Wyatt and Chris springing the trap. Wyatt flicked his wrist to freeze the hunter before he could fire a shot. Chris noticed the other werewolf and blasted him with electricity to help Werewolf-Carver. The electrical blast knocked the werewolf against a tree. 

The werewolf howled but had enough sanity to avoid stirring up another conflict. The werewolf disappeared deeper into the woods before they could stop him.

Werewolf-Carver lunged to chase this other werewolf but stopped. He looked to Joey, who still appeared frightened. He growled then shifted back into his human form.

Carver went over to Joey, hugging him. “You okay?”

Joey nodded. “Yeah. I’m cool.” 

Wyatt pulled the gun from the hunter’s hand. “Let’s unmask this guy, Scooby.” Wyatt flicked his fingers to unfreeze the hunter. The hunter stumbled when he noticed that he was surrounded. Wyatt waved. “Hi! Who are you? And why were you trying to kill our friend?”

“I wasn’t killing your friend. I’m hunting monsters!” The hunter looked at them. He stared specifically at Carver as he recognized the clothing. “You should get away from that monster, kid. His kind is nothing but filthy killers.”

“Ouch!” said Carver.

Joey shook his head. “Carver’s a good guy. Which is more than I can say for you.”

“Agreed.” Chris wiggled his fingers. Electricity danced across his fingertips. “We’re witches so we can handle ourselves. So I suggest you explain why you’ve been killing every werewolf on the West Coast.”

The hunter huffed. “The name’s James.” He grabbed his gun back from Wyatt but hesitated to shoot since he didn’t know what else the brothers could do. “I’m out to avenge my family. Werewolves killed my wife and children. I’ve been hunting every werewolf I can find with red fur or black and silver fur.” 

Wyatt squinted his eyes. His gaze followed Carver. “Black and silver fur?”

Chris and Joey looked at Carver too since they weren’t sure if James’s allegation against Carver had any truth to them. 

*~*

James’s story left things more on the awkward side when the brothers explained James and Carver’s possible connection. Piper, Leo, Veronica, and Bianca didn’t know who they should trust given how little they knew about Carver, but also, James’s bloody rampage across the Pacific Coast didn’t exactly make him sympathetic either. However, there was a means in which they could uncover if Carver had any connection to James. 

Joey returned to the sunroom with a steaming cup of tea. Leo and Carver followed beside Joey, while James shifted on the couch. Wyatt and Chris made sure to take James’s gun to minimize how bloody the situation could get. 

“Okay. Let’s hope this works.” Joey started to drink the tea, ignoring the burning sensation he felt from drinking such hot contents. 

“Christ.” James stared as he noticed Joey’s face turning red. “What the hell is he drinking?”

Leo went to a couch and sat beside Piper. “It’s a modified vision tea. A Shaman named Enola taught us the recipe after Joey’s aunt went on a vision quest with her. We modified the recipe since the goal isn’t for Joey to uncover his past, he’s after yours.”

Joey coughed as he swallowed the last of the tea. “Fuck! That was hot!”

Carver patted Joey’s back. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Joey wiped the sweat from his forehead. He grabbed onto Carver’s hand, then extended his other hand out to James. “Alright! Give me your hand.”

James appeared confused since he knew little about magic. 

Wyatt pushed James to his feet. “You’ll be safe. Your memories will work as Joey’s anchor so he can use his powers to see if you and Carver are actually connected.” Wyatt shoved James closer with Joey grabbing James’s arm. 

Joey closed his eyes. He allowed the tea to work its magic, forcing him to experience James’s traumatic past. He could see as the werewolves murdered James’s family and the terror that James felt as he narrowly survived the attack. Upon witnessing James’s memories, Joey relaxed to allow the tea to see if Carver shared similar memories. He dreaded the outcome as he didn’t know what he would do if Carver indeed killed James’s family.

Visions flashed before Joey’s mind, a past that he witnessed when he used Sasha’s telepathic abilities. Digging deeper, Joey started to uncover the truth. Carver’s past had no connection to James or the death of his family. However, Joey did see something else, something far more painful. Something did teether James and Carver, which included the red-furred werewolf. That werewolf that killed James’s family also attacked Carver, inflicting the curse upon Carver.

Joey released their hands. Tears poured down his cheeks. “Carver’s innocent,” he whispered. Carver sighed from the news.

“No!” James went to the coffee table, where they left his gun. He attempted to reach for the gun only for Bianca to spring up from the couch and press an athame against his throat. He gulped as he took a step back. “Sorry. But you have to be wrong! He has to be the one!”

“How would you even know?” Carver crossed his arms. “You killed every werewolf with black and silver or red fur. You probably already avenged your family.”

“Not quite.” Joey stared at James and Carver. “The werewolf that attacked tonight, the red-furred one. He was the one that killed your family, James. And he’s the one that turned you, Carver.”

James and Carver fell silent. Neither one really knew how to process it. James could feel his anger brewing, while Carver thought of the curse that resided within him.

Chris stepped up to cut the tension. “We need to stop that werewolf. We got like two hours until sunrise, so any suggestions on how we can find him?”

Joey nodded. “James and Carver are connected to the werewolf. They can help us scry for him.” He gestured at Wyatt, who orbed the scrying crystal and map to his hand. “And how else can we kill a werewolf if James misses?”

Veronica pointed at the Book of Shadows as she had it in front of her. “There’s a Power of Three spell here. And the book alleges that should a witch kill a werewolf then that would lift the curse from anyone that werewolf bit.”

Carver smirked. “So, I won’t be a werewolf anymore?”

“Allegedly,” Piper stressed. “There are no guarantees with curses that they’ll end.”

“Good enough.” Carver held Joey’s hand as he waved the scrying crystal over the city map. They glanced at James, who hesitated to touch Carver’s hand. However, James’s desire for revenge would push him to touch Carver if it would find the werewolf sooner. 

The scrying crystal swayed over the map for a moment longer before it dropped, revealing that the werewolf was still at the Muir Woods.

*~*

Sunrise wasn’t too far now, which meant that they needed to act quickly to hunt the werewolf. They orbed to the woods and didn’t have to wait too long until they heard howling. The howl sounded far too loud to belong to a normal wolf or canine, so they knew it belonged to the werewolf.

James unholstered his gun. He didn’t hesitate the slightest to run into the woods as the howling sounded close. “I’m going to kill you, son of a bitch!”

“Wait! James!” warned Chris. However, James disappeared into the woods as revenge left him blinded to reason. “Damn it! He’s going to get himself killed.”

Carver nodded. “I’ll try to stop him.” He took a deep breath. More hair grew along his body while he shifted into his werewolf form. A howl escaped from his jaw once he developed a wolf’s head as his body grew in size as the Elven fabric stretched comfortably. Werewolf-Carver rushed into the woods, following James and the other werewolf’s scent.

Joey turned his flashlight on. “We’d better hurry after them.”

“Yeah.” Wyatt turned his flashlight on, too, with Chris doing the same. They ran into the woods together, keeping close to not risk getting separated and the werewolf ambushing them.

The deeper they ventured, they’d eventually uncover a chaotic scene with gunshots echoing.

They reached a clearing to find James already on the ground. He steadied his aim for the werewolf, while Werewolf-Carver fought against the werewolf that cursed him. Werewolf-Carver slashed at the red-furred werewolf’s face only to miss. The werewolf growled as it lunged at Werewolf-Carver and bit his shoulder. Werewolf-Carver howled as blood trickled down his body. The werewolf grabbed onto Werewolf-Carver and slammed him against a tree.

James seized the opportunity. He fired three times on the werewolf with one managing to hit the werewolf’s back. The werewolf hissed as the silver bullet left its mark, but didn’t do enough to kill him. The werewolf growled as he launched himself at James, bloodlust in his yellow eyes as he could effortlessly rip James’s throat open.

Luckily, Wyatt interfered. He flicked his fingers to blast the werewolf with combustive energy that distracted the werewolf. The werewolf directed his attention on them next and launched at them. Chris moved to fire an electrical blast only for the werewolf to stop everyone as he gave a long howl. The howling irritated their ears, causing everyone to drop what they were doing, which the werewolf wanted. 

The werewolf slashed his claws at Wyatt and Chris. However, Wyatt and Chris regained enough of their senses to orb before the werewolf ripped their chests open. The werewolf connected enough of their physical forms to push them as they orbed, causing them to orb against the Redwoods. The orbs vanished as they materialized, but the impact left Wyatt and Chris barely conscious.

“Wyatt! Chris!” Joey moved towards them when the werewolf pounced after him. Joey released an energy ball to blast the werewolf’s face, briefly stunning him. However, the werewolf wasn’t so easily defeated. He growled at Joey, drool dribbling down his jaw. Joey growled back. “Fuck you, mutt!”

The werewolf tried to attack, but Werewolf-Carver recovered enough to save Joey. Werewolf-Carver grappled the werewolf, dragging him to the ground. The werewolf tried to bite Werewolf-Carver but couldn’t reach him, so he settled for scratching Werewolf-Carver’s arms. Werewolf-Carver howled as he had to release the werewolf.

They started to part ways as they prepared for their next attack. But as they got their distance, James fired on the werewolf again. Most of the shots missed like last time, but one hit the werewolf’s hind leg. The werewolf growled as he lunged after James. Before Werewolf-Carver or Joey could step up, the werewolf reached James and slashed James’s throat open.

Blood gushed from the wound with half of James’s throat left on the ground. James went limp quickly and collapsed to the ground as the life faded from his eyes.

Werewolf-Carver growled. He grabbed the werewolf from behind, dragging the werewolf to the ground. They continued their brawl, while Wyatt and Chris recovered from the last attack.

Chris sighed as he saw James’s corpse. “We have to stop this werewolf before it gets worse.”

Joey resisted the urge to scream as the werewolf slammed Werewolf-Carver to the ground. The werewolf slashed Werewolf-Carver’s chest, cutting the Elven fabric, but not deep enough to prove fatal. The injury would keep Werewolf-Carver down and unable to fight back. The werewolf would raise its claws once more to strike only for Joey to blast the werewolf with an energy ball. “Leave him alone!” shouted Joey. “You’ve made his life miserable enough!”

The werewolf would lock eyes with them, growling. 

Wyatt grabbed a sheet of paper from his pocket. “Now’s our chance!”

The werewolf charged at them, while they quickly recited the spell. “ _Beast of the Moon’s control. Heart as black as coal. We cover thee with silver. And end this ruthless killer_!” Silverly light washed over the werewolf. Flames soon covered the werewolf’s body until he exploded, ending his rampage. 

With the spell finished, golden sparks glistened from Joey’s hand as he squeezed onto Wyatt’s hand. Joey took a bit of Wyatt’s power before rushing over to Werewolf-Carver and used Wyatt’s healing powers. 

Wyatt shook off the light-headed feeling. He groaned. “Rude! Ask next time instead of taking my powers!”

Chris patted Wyatt’s back. “Let’s clean up the embers from the vanquishing spell. We wouldn’t want to be responsible for a forest fire.”  
  
Meanwhile, Joey finished healing Werewolf-Carver’s surface injuries. Werewolf-Carver’s eyes fluttered open as he recovered enough. He would glance at himself, seeing that he remained in his wolfy form even as he saw that they vanquished the werewolf.

Joey gently stroked Werewolf-Carver’s chin. “I know. Looks like it was only a theory. You’ll have to stay a werewolf.” Joey scooted closer to Werewolf-Carver, hugging him. “It doesn’t matter to me, though. I like you just the way you are.”

Despite not being physically able, Werewolf-Carver would smile at Joey’s words. He wrapped his beastly arms around Joey, holding him ever so gently even with his great strength.

*~*

Later that morning, Carver finished changing in the guest bedroom, which was Wyatt’s old bedroom. He spent another night at the manor but took to sleeping in the guestroom not to risk offending Piper and Leo’s hospitality. He borrowed another outfit from Leo as he had no time to get any clothes for himself because of James and the werewolf.

A knock came from the bedroom door with Joey slowly stepping inside. “Hey.” Joey folded his arms behind his back. “My mom wanted to let you know that there’s breakfast if you’re hungry. So...you hungry?”

Carver grinned. “I could eat.” Carver finished buttoning another of Leo’s flannel shirts. He went over to the door, which made it so that Joey’s scent became more potent the closer that he got. He took a deep breath while his hand reacted on its own to grab Joey’s waist. “Um...shit. I. Uh.”

Joey squeezed Carver’s arm while looking into Carver’s dark eyes. “What do you plan to do now? James isn’t around, and the werewolf is dead. Do you think you’ll go back to the Elven village? Or to your family in Colorado?”

“I don’t know.” Carver closed the door so that they could have a moment to speak in private. He leaned against the door, while Joey leaned against the dresser. “I’ve barely spoken to my family since my parents died. All I’ve done was let them know I was okay. It doesn’t feel right to insert myself into their lives now. Even like this.” Carver shook his head. “And I think Elder Tya wouldn’t mind if I didn’t come back.”

Carver tugged on the shirt’s hemline. “Would. Would you like it if I stuck around?”

Joey crossed his arms. He shuffled a bit as he fell silent before nodding. “Yeah. I’d like it a lot if you stayed here. With me.”

Carver stepped away from the door and wrapped his arms around Joey’s hips. “Good. Because I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” He leaned over, planting a firm kiss on Joey’s lips. Joey moaned while wrapping his arms around Carver’s neck. Joey had to step on his toes to even out the height difference as they also pressed their bodies closer together. 

They kept the kiss going, forgetting that they were in the manor until they heard a banging from the door.

“Yo! Wolfy and brat! Breakfast!” shouted Chris. 

Joey and Carver stopped kissing, resisting the urge to laugh, so Chris didn’t know what they were doing. Even though Chris totally knew that they were most likely sucking face. 

They slipped out of the bedroom and went downstairs to join everyone else for breakfast.


	28. Showered with Hate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Potential trigger warning for this chapter. A handful of innocents die in this chapter. But most of it is still cute stuff. Also, there's a sex scene in the third scene too. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

An afternoon date at the planetarium proved more fun than Joey thought. He found it odd that Carver would pick a planetarium as their first date, but the starry maze and star-gazing simulation gave the illusion of a nighttime date. Joey clung onto Carver’s arm while they sat in the nearly-empty simulation, listening to the narrator speaking on the cosmos.

They ignored the narrator and spent more time talking as they cuddled. 

Joey rested his head on Carver’s shoulder. He gently stroked Carver’s thigh as they stared at the simulated sun. “How are you enjoying the job? Mrs. Said isn’t causing you too much trouble, is she?”

“She’s great.” Carver resisted a moan as Joey continued stroking Carver’s thigh. He rubbed his chin with his beard trimmed down significantly, same with his hair since he left the woods. He still had a thick beard, but he no longer appeared like a wild man, and he cut his curly hair down to a more manageable length. “It isn’t too much work caring for her. Once Fynn and Sasha get back from work, I can pretty much chill. And her dementia isn’t that bad, so all I need to do is make sure that she’s okay. Your dad really hooked me up with the perfect job.”

Upon deciding to stay in San Francisco, Carver needed to find work and a place to live. Luckily, Leo knew Fynn and Sasha Lockhart that needed help with Sasha’s aging mother. Mrs. Said developed dementia, and so far, they couldn’t afford a proper care worker, so they were desperate for help. Carver easily swooped in and even moved into their vacant basement apartment in exchange for taking care of Mrs. Said during the day. 

“Sounds like a pretty sweet gig,” whispered Joey. “And it still leaves you enough time to work at the leather bar.”

Carver smirked. “Thanks for helping me get that job. Who knew that white gays are so basic that they’ll go crazy over a husky Iranian dude.” 

“Never underestimate how quick the gays are to fetishize a handsome man.” 

They fell silent, cuddling as they enjoyed the rest of the simulation. They started to vacate the auditorium once the lights came back on, following everyone else into the nearby souvenir shop.

Joey grabbed a snowglobe with a full moon and a little astronaut inside. He offered to buy it for Carver to help decorate the place. 

Carver laughed but accepted the gesture. Carver went to check out the model sets of rocketships and the solar system and found plenty of LEGO sets too that was space-themed in some capacity. He considered getting back into building model kits as he did as a kid and now had an income to get something nice.

Joey came up from behind Carver, still holding onto the snowglobe. He tugged on the back of Carver’s shirt while trying to look around him despite their height difference. “See anything you like?”

Carver grabbed a LEGO space set while he tilted his head back. “You.”

“Good answer.” 

As Joey and Carver continued searching the shop, they heard a commotion outside. The sound of a couple arguing got more vicious, with everyone in the shop started to notice. 

Outside, a middle-aged couple appeared close to trading blows. 

“I’m the asshole!” shouted the bald man. “You’re the one who lied to me for years! You’re the one who fucked my brother!”

Gasps echoed from the shop. Joey and Carver felt compelled to watch the scene, as did everyone else. 

The dark-haired woman huffed. “Well, at least he can get me off! You pathetic bastard!”

“You fucking whore!”

“I want a divorce!” Their shouting echoed everywhere. It proved miraculous enough that they didn’t fight. They did, however, throw their wedding rings at each other. 

The couple departed, leaving behind an awkward scene.

Joey gulped. “Wow. That was something.”

Carver nodded. He glanced at his phone to check the time. “We should get moving. We have to work tonight.” 

Joey shoved the thought of the couple’s drama out of his head. “Right. Is it still okay if I spend the night?”

“Yeah. But first, dinner! How does Korean sound?”

“Delicious!” Joey followed Carver to the cash register so that they could pay for everything.

All while a pasty-skinned man with spiky white hair in a dark-red suit laughed as he watched the couple resumed their argument. He soon shimmered out of view as he accomplished his mission of ending another loving relationship.

*~*

That night, Chris and Bianca took the liberties of scheduling a date night. They kept it simple with dinner and drinks since they had to help with the baby shower setup tomorrow. They picked a cute Argentinian restaurant near downtown that had stunning views of the city. And their outdoor table meant that they could enjoy the gorgeous night with the twinkling rope lights adding a little more flair. 

Chris and Bianca clinked glasses of red wine.

“To us!” said Chris.

Bianca chuckled. “To us!” They sipped their wine. She sighed and relaxed into her chair. “I needed this. A cozy night out after this hellish week.”

Chris switched to sipping his water. “That bad? I doubt it compares to bratty students. Things can’t be that bad with your family now that they adjusted the switch to bodyguard work.” He leaned a little closer to keep the other patrons and staff from overhearing them. “Or do they really miss getting paid for killing people?”

“No.” Bianca shook her head. “Surprisingly, it wasn’t that big of a transition. I just have too many cousins trying to stir trouble. They’d rather take over the family for themselves than see me continuing to run the show.”

“Want me to beat them up?” asked Chris. “I throw a mean right hook, and I have a whip that a goddess gave me.”

Bianca refilled her glass while holding back her laughter. “I think I can handle things. I do appreciate your offer.”

“Anything for my woman. Because I am a big strong man.” Chris flexed to show off his growing muscles, but his blazer didn’t do him justice. Luckily, Chris stopped making a fool of himself before their waiter arrived with their food. 

The steaming spread made them feel hungrier than before. However, before they got the chance to enjoy their meal, they heard arguing from across the street. 

A retirement-aged couple started swinging their canes at each other. It stunned everyone as the scene got messier. Chris and Bianca were too far to hear much of what the couple was saying, but it ended similarly to the couple that Joey and Carver saw earlier. 

The older man removed his ring and tossed it on the ground. “I want a divorce, Phyllis!” 

“Over my dead body, Frank! Till death do us part! And I fully intend on making it a miserable one for you!” Phyllis stormed off as quickly as she could down the street towards their car.

Chris and Bianca stared at each other, confused at what they saw. 

Meanwhile, the same white-haired man in a red suit stood nearby. He stared at his ring, watching as it glowed black as a dark aura spread around Phyllis and Frank’s hearts.

*~*

Tongues dancing and wet bodies pressed tightly. It proved miraculous that Carver and Joey didn’t make a mess in Carver’s basement apartment. And luckily, they resisted the urge to make too much noise so that they didn’t wake up the Lockhart family.

The apartment wasn’t that grand and was pretty small. Carver barely had a kitchen as he had a small fridge and oven with a sink and only one counter. He had a two-seater table pressed against a wall, but he usually ate on the couch so he could watch TV. And placed on the opposite wall was a full-sized bed. It wasn’t much, but it was far more than he had in the woods, and it was private so that it would do. 

The apartment was meant for Mrs. Said so that she could have her private space. However, with her dementia developing, they moved her back upstairs.

Carver pinned Joey against the bathroom door. They showered first to get the bar smells off them and wasted no time to get dirty all over again. Joey moaned into the kiss while wrapping his arms and legs around Carver. Joey’s warm body made Carver’s dick stand at full erection. Carver carried Joey to the bed then pinned Joey over the mattress.

Lips continued to dance while warm skin rubbed. 

Joey tugged on Carver’s curls. Carver started gently sucking Joey’s nipples. Joey moaned as the feel of Carver’s full bodyweight against him got him equally as excited. Cum began to trickle from Joey’s erection, which was smaller than Carver’s erection but equally hard. Joey would push Carver onto his back. The aggression made Carver’s eyes flash yellow for a second, but not from rage but lust. 

Joey started things as he sucked on Carver’s dick. Carver tugged onto the sheets as he couldn’t even recall the last time he had sex. It took every bit of control Carver had no to climax instantly, and he would enjoy every second of Joey’s lips and tongue. Soon, Carver turned things around as he sucked on Joey. Carver’s technique wasn’t as refined, but Joey loved it plenty as he moaned Carver’s name. 

Joey tilted his head back as he felt Carver’s tongue teasing his asshole while Carver’s beard rubbed against the skin. “Condom. Lube!” Joey held out his hand. Orbs gathered as a condom and bottle of lube orbed to his hand. He didn’t regret abusing Wyatt’s powers for sexual reasons as he couldn’t wait. 

Carver took the condom while Joey rubbed the lube over them. Joey ran his hand across Carver’s hairy chest before nudging him to the bed. “On your back, wolfman. We don’t know how aggressive you can get on top.” Once Carver assumed the position, Joey sat on Carver's lap. Joey’s eyes rolled back while he sat on Carver’s dick. Gentle moans escaped his lips. He moved at a steady pace even as lust overwhelmed his senses. 

Carver felt the same. He dugs his nails into Joey’s hips. His eyes flashed yellow again, but he didn’t shift into his werewolf form. However, his inner werewolf did feel satisfaction, too, something that they noticed. Joey leaned over and kissed Carver while continuing to ride him. They kept at it until Carver couldn’t hold back and came inside the condom. Joey stopped moving, his body shuddering from the sex and his cum sticking to Carver’s body hair.

“We need to do that again.” Joey brushed the sweat from his forehead.

“Yes, we do.” Carver moaned as Joey climbed off him. Joey slid into Carver’s arms as they enjoyed the post-sex cuddle session. “I’m glad the wolf didn’t come out. I got scared for a moment there.”

Joey chuckled. “Lucky for you that _Teen Wolf_ and _Twilight_ gave me a werewolf fetish. But warn me if you’re going to shift while we’re having sex. I’ve read enough fanfiction to know about knotting.”

Carver groaned at that mention of knotting. “Mercy! Please don’t let that be a real thing.” He kissed Joey’s forehead as he pulled the condom off as his dick got soft. “But us having sex shouldn’t be a problem, except maybe on a full moon. Now that I think about it, I should probably leave town the next full moon. I should give the wolf space to roam, so I don’t accidentally hurt someone.”

Joey nodded against Carver’s chest. Their date, working, and sex started to take its toll on Joey as he yawned. “If you’re going to leave, maybe I should join you.” He closed his eyes. “I hate camping, but I should make sure that my werewolf boyfriend has someone looking out for him. We don’t want another James to attack you.” Joey fell silent and began to snore as he fell asleep.

“ _Boyfriend_.” Carver pulled Joey closer to his chest. His heart beat harder, but it didn’t wake Joey as his eyes also flashed yellow. Even his inner wolf felt moved from Joey’s words. “I’ll be safe with you around, boyfriend.” Carver slipped free of Joey for a minute. He turned off all the lights before crawling back into bed and holding Joey as he too fell asleep.

*~*

Saturday morning would turn into a bloodbath. 

Frank zipped up his suitcase. He grabbed everything that he could as he would make his way out of the home he shared with Phyllis for over forty years. He grabbed the suitcase and started making his way for the front door.

However, Phyllis wouldn’t allow Frank to leave so easily. She squeezed onto a cast-iron skillet. She struggled to lift it, but that didn’t stop her as an overwhelming amount of hate coursed throughout her body. 

Phyllis followed Frank towards the front door. They passed a wall of photos of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The decades they spent in love, even with the turmoils, would fall to a demon’s manipulations. 

The white-haired demon sat in the living room. He remained invisible to Frank and Phyllis while a dark glow radiated from his body. He worsened their rage, making the hate grow stronger. He grinned. “Do it, Phyllis,” he whispered. “Do it now.”

The words echoed in Phyllis’s mind. She raised the skillet and slammed it against the back of Frank’s head. Frank collapsed to the ground and went limp. One blow was all that it took to kill him, but Phyllis continued to hear the demon speak.

Phyllis continued to smash Frank’s head. “Die, Frank! Die! You miserable bastard! DIE!”

The white-haired demon laughed as he shimmered away, pleased from the hate that he unearthed.

*~*

Halliwell Manor became a mess from the baby shower prep. As promised, Cristina and Alessandro showed up bright and early with the decorations since their flight came in yesterday. And as Piper promised, she recruited everyone else to help. Chris forced himself out of bed early, and Bianca came over with coffee and bagels, while Joey strolled in late with Carver behind him.

PJ, Paulina, Hank, and Tamora came over too since they were excited about helping the baby shower. Everyone split up into various jobs as they had plenty of hands to do all the work.

Diapers, streamers, ribbons, chocolate, and more party stuff covered much of the dining room and sunroom. Meanwhile, the kitchen slowly became a mess as Piper worked on all the desserts for tomorrow. Lucky for her that she had the foresight to cater for the lunch since she didn’t have the time to cover both. Tamora and PJ worked as her kitchen staff since they were the only ones Piper trusted to help in the kitchen.

As the party prep was well underway, Wyatt and Veronica made their way over to the manor. Veronica appeared more miserable as she squeezed onto Wyatt’s arm. She groaned from the baby kicking as it felt like the baby was playing soccer with her kidney.

Veronica sighed as the pain started to subside. “If this kid doesn’t become a soccer player, then I’m going to be so pissed.”

“I’m sorry, honey.” Wyatt continued helping Veronica into the house. “Want me to make you some tea?”

“Tequila. I want tequila!” 

As Veronica’s voice boomed, Cristina stepped away from the diaper cake. “Ay, mija. You know you can’t have liquor.” She hugged Veronica. She turned to Wyatt and hugged him too. The hug wasn’t so awkward as the rift between them slowly started to mend. “Maybe a little wine. But tequila is too strong. It’ll hurt the baby.”

“The baby is hurting me more.” Veronica went to the sunroom. “So, what do you need help with?”

“Nothing!” Leo came downstairs with more decorations. He brought with him some supplies, but also Wyatt, Chris, and Joey’s baby books. “The baby shower is for you and Wyatt. So you can sit down and make fun of us for messing up.”

Veronica grinned. “I can do that.” 

Wyatt leaned around Leo so that he could get a bit closer to the kitchen. “You sure that you don’t need our help? What does mom say?”

“Sit!” Piper’s voice boomed from the kitchen.

Leo patted Wyatt’s shoulder. “Listen to your mother.”

“Just wanted to hear it from the boss.” Wyatt went into the sunroom to find Chris and Carver hanging up streamers. Joey and Paulina made some bows, while Bianca sorted the supplies to make sure they had everything. Wyatt glanced at the dining room to see that Cristina kept Alessandro, Leo, and Hank in line as she gave them marching orders. “Y’all look pretty busy. A shame that you don’t need our help.”

Paulina shrugged. “A couple of hours of suffering doesn’t sound so bad compared to eighteen years of raising a kid.”

Wyatt and Veronica gasped as they never expected Paulina to sound so cold. 

Wyatt ignored the attack. He turned to Veronica as he pointed at Chris and Joey. She nodded since now was a good time to ask. “Yo, uncles of my child! Assemble! We gotta talk.”

Chris and Joey dropped what they were doing. They rolled their eyes. 

“There’s something I’d like to ask.” Wyatt folded his arms behind his back. “Veronica and I discussed this for a while, so no pressure, but we’d like it if you’d both be the baby’s godfathers.”

“Serious?” asked Chris.

“Me?” Joey’s jaw dropped. “I mean...us!”

Wyatt nodded. “I couldn’t pick. Plus, there’s nobody I’d trust guiding our kid than you, guys. So...what do you say?”

Chris and Joey didn’t say a word as they hugged Wyatt. Chris stayed pretty silent while Joey squealed. They ran over to Veronica, hugging her next. Chris graciously accepted the position as Joey touched Veronica’s belly and promised to be the cool godfather.

Veronica laughed. “Padrinos are responsible, not cool, Joey.”

“I’ll be both.” Joey kissed Veronica’s cheek as he went back to making bows. 

Chris shook his head. “I’ll keep that one in line.”

“Thank you,” said Wyatt. 

However, the excitement of the announcement got cut short. A flash of pink light illuminated the sunroom as a panicked Coop arrived. They thought Coop was here to provide help for the baby shower. Sweat poured from Coop’s head as something bothered him, or attacked him.

Paulina ran to Coop. Her panicked voice echoed enough to pull PJ out from the kitchen. 

Coop maintained some composure as he sat on the couch. “There’s trouble. Love is under attack.” He looked at Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. “There’s a Demon of Hate in the city. The Cupids need your help to vanquish him.”

*~*

Following Coop’s lead, they arrived at a fresh crime scene. A crowd gathered outside an old Victorian house. The police remained present as they removed Frank’s body and detained a still mad Phyllis. Coop explained again that Demons of Hate sought to destroy the mortal loves, which affected Cupid’s well-being, as the Demons of Hate attacked love itself. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey kept their guard up as they looked around the crime scene for anyone suspicious.

Coop shivered. “They’re making the couples kill each other.” He shook his head. Usually, Demons of Hate would only destroy relationships. They didn’t usually go out of their way to kill their victims the way that Darklighters did. “I can still feel the demon nearby. They’re enjoying the mayhem that they created.”

Joey rolled his eyes. “So Demons of Hate are right-wing trolls too. Great. Just what we needed.”

“Any idea where they’re at?” asked Chris.

Coop looked at the crowd. “No. But they’re close. I doubt they’re even cloaking themselves now.”

Wyatt nodded as he had an idea. “Be ready to run. The demon will panic once I freeze everything.” He flicked his hands. Everyone stopped moving as he froze everyone’s molecules. They watched as they noticed the white-haired man in a red suit appeared shocked to see everyone suddenly frozen. “There he is!”

“Witches!” The demon made a run for it. 

Joey and Chris went after the demon since they were the fastest. Wyatt and Coop weren’t too far behind as Wyatt unfroze the people. 

The demon ran into an alleyway down the street. Joey tried to blast the demon with Wyatt’s combustive power only to miss. 

Chris raised his hand. “Starbreaker!” The steel claw orbed to his hand, which he swung. An energy whip manifested from Starbreaker that he cracked to wrap around the demon’s leg. He pulled the whip, forcing the demon to fall flat on his face.

The demon hissed as the whip released him as Chris retracted it. He started to get on his feet as Coop and Wyatt finally caught up. “You!” The demon spat blood. He straightened his suit coat. “You always get in my way, Coop.”

Coop glared. “Nem! I should’ve known it was you.”

“Less chit chat.” Joey patted Wyatt’s back. “More blowing the bastard up!”

“Right!” Wyatt motioned to flick his wrist to blast Nem. 

However, Nem reacted quicker. Nem’s ring flashed bright red as he unleashed a blast of magic. The magic washed over them, not appearing to do any physical damage, but left mental scarring. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey’s heads ached horribly as they struggled to regain their senses. 

Meanwhile, when the blast struck Coop, it left Coop nauseated. He started stumbling when Nem shimmered in front of him. 

“We’re done, Coop.” Nem shoved his fist into Coop’s chest. Coop screamed as Nem used raw hatred to assault Coop’s body. Nem removed his hand and reached for Coop’s Cupid Ring. “Now, to take your power. I won’t make the same mistake that Drazi did.”

Joey shook past the pain when he noticed Nem about to take Coop’s ring. “No!” Joey grabbed Nem’s hand. Golden sparks illuminated from their touch as Joey absorbed some of Nem’s power.

Nem howled as he forced his hand free. He stumbled back, while Coop collapsed into Wyatt’s arms. Chris fired a blast of electricity only to miss as he couldn’t quite aim yet. Nem recovered enough and took the brothers’ still disoriented senses as his cue to escape. He shimmered to safety before they could follow him.

Chris groaned. With Nem gone, Chris could feel his senses returning to normal. “We have to catch that bastard.”

“We will.” Wyatt helped Coop back to his feet. “But we have to get Uncle Coop out of here. Before Nem finds us again.” He started to orb with Coop, while Chris took Joey as they made their way to the manor

*~*

A dose of Whitelighter’s healing was all it took to help Coop bounce back. Since they left, everyone else arrived at the manor to help with the baby shower. Almost everything except the desserts was ready for tomorrow. Now, the focus fell on the fight. Phoebe, PJ, and Paulina turned into a panicked mess when they saw Coop injured. And the news of a Demon of Hate in the city reminded Phoebe of her last encounter with one all those years ago. 

Phoebe held onto Coop’s hand as he had a blanket covering him. Coop recovered, but he started dozing off to finish healing. Phoebe looked at Wyatt. “You’ll need a vanquishing potion to stop Nem.”

Wyatt shrugged. “Or I can stab Nem in the ass with Excalibur.” 

“I’m down to help,” said PJ. 

“Me too,” said Paulina. “I wanna bunch that demonic bastard.” 

Joey and Chris returned to the living room with the Book of Shadows. They overheard the conversation, with Joey raising his eyebrows at the thought. “We actually do need your help.” He sat on a chair as he stared at the Book. Meanwhile, Carver came in from the sunroom with some scotch tape stuck to his hands for hanging the streamers. Joey blew a kiss at Carver before turning back to PJ and Paulina. “We need a Cupid to track a Demon of Hate. And if Nem uses his powers against us again, only Cupid powers can neutralize the effects.”

Chris nodded. “And unlike Uncle Coop, you are also part witch and don’t have Cupid Rings. So that should mean that Nem’s powers can’t affect you.”

“Good.” PJ crossed her arms. “So, when are we going after this bastard again?”

“First, we need a plan,” said Wyatt, “and to make a potion. Go back to finishing up the party. I’ll call you when the potion is ready.” Wyatt went into the sunroom to check on Veronica. He found her on the couch, listening in to everything, but also saw Cristina and Alessandro next to her. Wyatt noticed that Cristina and Alessandro didn’t appear pleased with everything that they heard.

Wyatt folded his arms behind his back. “I’m a Charmed One. I can’t let a demon run free and hurt others.”

Alessandro shook his head. “Don’t worry. We’re not judging you for that. We can respect that you use your magic to protect others.”

“It’s just concerning.” Cristina looked around Wyatt to see Coop. “This could happen to Vero. Or you.” 

Veronica squeezed Cristina’s hand. “It’s okay, mom. Wyatt and I are prepared for that; we talked about it a lot.”

“We’re not,” whispered Alessandro. “We’re not.”

Wyatt frowned. He understood Cristina and Alessandro’s concern. After all, Wyatt only needed to think about Prue to know that they weren’t indestructible. Things could end in tragedy if they weren’t careful. 

“It’ll work out.” Wyatt smiled at them. “We’ll make it work.”

“Hopefully,” whispered Cristina as Wyatt left to brew the vanquishing potion.

*~*

Across town, Nem worked his magic to destroy the love of another couple. He found an older gay couple to target, which would result in as much of a disaster as the one that befell Frank and Phyllis. 

“Goodbye, Harry! Have a nice life.” 

The apartment’s front door slammed shut. Harry was left standing, still in shock that Ron, his husband of five years, would suddenly leave him. 

Harry stared at a picture of them from their wedding. Tears poured down his face as he had to accept the fact that it was over now.

Nem walked behind Harry, whispering his evil influence. “Make Ron regret it. He’ll have to come back eventually. Let him see what he caused.”

“What he caused,” whispered Harry. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Nem’s words continued to echo in Harry’s head as Harry slashed his wrists. Blood poured everywhere as Harry collapsed as he would soon die from the blood loss. 

Nem laughed as he left the apartment, leaving Harry to suffer.

*~*

Wyatt brought Chris, Joey, PJ, and Paulian up to the attic to discuss the plan while the potion cooled. Nem proved himself as a quick thinker during their last encounter that they couldn’t take any chances. They needed to find a way to outsmart him.

Joey collapsed onto the couch. Cold air gathered around his fingers since he absorbed Hank's powers to replace the hate-filled magic he stole from Nem. “What if we used Carver and me as bait? Demons of Hate love breaking couples up. I can’t think of a better way to lure Nem out of his hiding hole.”

“Not good enough,” said PJ. “Demons of Hate prefer destroying longer-term relationships. You’re too new of a couple to satisfy Nem’s hunger. He’ll want to destroy couples with deeper connections.”

Chris nodded. “Bianca and I’ve been together for a year now. Will that work?”

“Maybe.” PJ bit her lip. “It might work better if we use Uncle Leo and Aunt Piper as bait.”

Paulina shrugged. “Age works, but there’s also significance. Connections that include the things that bind a couple together.”

“Like a child?” Veronica stepped into the attic with a hand on her baby bump. Her presence shocked Wyatt, who was in the middle of bottling the potion. “Wyatt and I’ve been together for over a year now. And we have a baby due soon. Is that a deep enough connection to lure Nem out of hiding?”

“Babe,” Wyatt whispered as he corked the potion. “It’s too dangerous for you to go after demons. Not when you’re so far along.”

“Your mom still kicked plenty of ass when she was pregnant.” Veronica moved her hands onto her hips. “And she didn’t have a force field when she was pregnant with your brothers. I can hold my own just as well.”

Wyatt sighed. He didn’t see how he could convince Veronica to back out. 

PJ and Paulina agreed that Wyatt and Veronica’s relationship could work to lure Nem into a trap. 

Chris took the potion from Wyatt. “We should head to your place. Nem probably knows about the manor and wouldn’t risk coming anywhere near here.”

“Fine.” Wyatt squeezed onto Veronica’s hand. “If things go southー”

Veronica nodded. “I know. I’ll be careful. Bianca trained me well.”

“Let’s move it, ladies!” said Joey.

*~*

They kept the plan a simple one. Wyatt glamoured himself into Brody since he already encountered Nem before. In disguise, Wyatt started an argument with Veronica to lure Nem to their apartment. PJ, Paulina, Chris, and Joey hid in the bedroom so that Nem wouldn’t notice their presence. 

Wyatt chased Veronica around the kitchen as they kept arguing.

“Why don’t you just admit it?” said Wyatt. “You’re not really okay with the fact that I did porn. If it bothers you so much, then just admit it!”

“Of course, it bothers me!” said Veronica. “It’s bad enough that you’re a washed-up musician! But I got knocked up by a fucking whore! What will people think? What will my parents think? Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is? A sane person would’ve had an abortion!”

“Well, it’s too late, bitch! You’re stuck with me for at least eighteen years.”

The arguing lured Nem to the apartment. Wyatt and Veronica kept arguing, unaware of Nem’s presence as he kept himself invisible. Nem chuckled as he found another couple to destroy. He pointed his ring at them to amplify the hate brewing in their hearts. 

However, PJ and Paulina beamed into the living room. They raised their hands, unleashing a blast of pink light that struck Nem before he could infect Wyatt and Veronica with hate. Their Cupid magic neutralized Nem’s spell and forced him to become visible. 

Nem stumbled a few steps. He blinked as Wyatt reversed the glamor. A second later, Chris and Joey orbed into the living room. “No! You again!” Nem clenched his fist and noticed Joey getting ready to throw a vanquishing potion at him. Nem gathered enough strength to unleash a blast of pure hatred.

The wave of red hate energy struck Joey and Chris first, stunning them. The potion fell from Joey’s hand, landing on the sofa. The blast also touched Wyatt, leaving him stunned too. PJ and Paulina’s Cupid magic shielded them from the attack, while Paulina grabbed Veronica’s hand to share her immunity. Pink light washed over Veronica, protecting her from Nem’s attack.

The hatred wormed its way into Wyatt, Chris, and Joey’s head. It left them unable to do anything as they struggled to maintain any self-control.

“Asshole!” PJ swung her arm, blasting telekinetic energy at Nem. Nem crashed against the front door. “That’s for my dad! And my cousins!”

Paulina turned to the sofa, finding the vanquishing potion there. “Veronica! Use the potion!”

Veronica nodded. She grabbed the potion as she was the closest and tossed it at Nem. Luckily, Veronica’s aim was on point. The potion struck Nem and vanquished him in a single blast.

With Nem dead, the hate energy he unleashed faded throughout the city. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey sighed as the pain vanished. 

Wyatt stepped closer to Veronica and hugged her tight. “I’m sorry for calling you a bitch. I didn’t mean it.”

Veronica smiled as she hugged him back. “And I didn’t mean it when I called you a whore or a washed-up musician. I think you’re great.” She kissed him. “Love you.”

Wyatt smiled. “Love you too.”

*~*

With Nem vanquished and love saved, it meant a peaceful baby shower to welcome the family’s newest addition. They decorated the manor beautifully with a rainbow of colors all over the house since Wyatt and Veronica refused to stick with the standard blue and pink of a baby shower. The manor quickly got crowded as Wyatt and Veronica invited plenty of friends, which made the party feel extra memorable. Even other friends of the family gathered with Darryl and Sheila Morris being in town the same weekend to visit Darryl’s parents. 

Wyatt handed Victor a piece of cake before making his way into the sunroom. He bumped into Darryl and Sheila as they were in the middle of talking with Phoebe and Henry. Sheila gave Wyatt another bear hug. “Mrs. Morris!” Wyatt chuckled. “Are you that freaked out that I’m going to be a dad?”

Sheila brushed the tears from her eyes. “No! I’m just. I’m feeling my age.” She chuckled as she held onto Darryl’s arm. “I still remember when you were a baby, and we had to babysit you. And here you are, about to have a baby of your own.”

Darryl raised his glass of punch. “Time really flies. Next thing you know, your kid will be grown, and you’ll be throwing one of these for them. The best piece of parenting advice I can give you and Veronica is to enjoy every minute you have with them.”

Wyatt smiled. “I will. We will.” He waved them off before moving to check on Veronica. He glanced to see Raja, Steve, and Jessica going through the baby books. Chris showed Chad some new photos he took, while Hank and Vinny snuck off to do some shots. 

Near the living room, Wyatt saw Joey and Carver talking to Gordon. Wyatt grinned as he ran over and hugged Gordon. “Gordo, man! I’m glad you made it.” Gordon resisted the urge to blush. Joey told Wyatt to let Gordon breathe. Wyatt muttered an apology since he got a bit too aggressive with the hug. “Sorry about that. I just haven’t seen you in forever. You look good.”

“Thanks, Wyatt.” Gordon chuckled. “And, congrats to you, man. My parents had me bring a little something from them too since they couldn’t make it.”

Wyatt smiled. “Great! Tell them thanks for me.” He waved them off too before rushing over to Veronica, who sat on a couch with Piper and Cristina. 

“The good thing is that you have us around.” Piper shook her head as she glanced at Wyatt as he approached them. “We weren’t so lucky with that one. Finding a nanny and a daycare where we didn’t have to worry about Wyatt terrorizing people with his magic was a nightmare.”

Cristina laughed. “And that’s why we decided to bind your powers, Vero. Raising a kid is hard enough without magic. But, what you decide to do is yours and Wyatt’s choice to make. Just know we’ll be there for you.”

Veronica patted Cristina and Piper’s hands. “Thank you, both. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. This is scary enough, but I’m glad to know I have so many people to count on to make it a little less stressful.” Veronica grinned at Wyatt. She held her hand out to him as he helped her to her swollen feet. “Should we?”

“I think so.” Wyatt held Veronica’s hand as he called everyone’s attention. The guests gathered as Wyatt and Veronica had a long-awaited announcement to share. “Thank you all for coming. Veronica and I are so glad that you all could make it. And just wish us well as we’re about to enter parenthood with this little one coming any day now.”

Veronica touched her belly. “And thank you all for the presents too. And since we don’t know the baby’s sex, thank you for respecting our wishes to keep some of these gifts as gender-neutral as possible.” She chuckled. “We also wanted to share something with all of you. We decided on what to name the baby. If they’re a boy. We’ll name them Sebastian Enrique Rossi-Halliwell.” 

Hank whistled. “That’s a mouthful.” 

“Shut up! Italians and Latinos like our long names,” said Veronica.

Joey booed Hank before turning to Veronica. “I think it’s a cute name, Vero!” 

Wyatt chuckled as he playfully squeezed Veronica’s hand. “And if they’re a girl. We’ll name them Selena Fiora Rossi-Halliwell.”

Raja squealed. “Those are such cute names! You sure you’re not having twins so you can use both?”

“Gods no!” Veronica and Wyatt found the thought of having twins too terrifying for them. 

Everyone laughed. They expressed their love for the names as they resumed the baby shower as Piper and Cristina directed them to some games they had planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eep! Baby names! And do you know what that means? Yes. The next chapter will introduce the newest Halliwell witch. Boy oh boy do I have some things planned. And you're probably going to hate me.


	29. Life and Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have nothing happy to say, not even Happy Halloween week, because of this chapter. All I will say is look up to the archive warnings and tags before you get too mad at me. You've been warned.
> 
> Kudos and comments are still appreciated. Even if you end up hating me.

Piper fluffed the pillows for Veronica. 

Two days before her delivery date, Veronica appeared ready to pop. She also became increasingly dependent on everyone else for help as the pregnancy took its toll. She had little energy left in her and a headache that wouldn’t go away, but she did her best to handle it. Luckily, she had plenty of help. Piper took the day off from work to help Veronica since Wyatt had to work late.

“Okay, sweetie.” Piper helped Veronica onto the bed so that Veronica could get more comfortable. “What else do you need? Are you feeling up for lunch?”

“Yeah. You brought your gazpacho, right?” Veronica wiped the bead of sweat from her neck. “I feel scorching hot. This baby is giving me menopause!”

Piper chuckled. “I’m sorry that my grandchild is causing you so much trouble. But you’re almost at the finish line now. Once they’re out, the real fun begins.”

Veronica smiled as she rubbed her belly. “That’s true. I can’t wait to hold this little one.”

“I’ll get the soup. I’ll bring some Gatorade too. You’re sweating a lot, and I don’t want you to get dehydrated.” 

“Thanks, Piper.” 

Veronica rested her head against the pillow. Her phone began to vibrate when she noticed a text notification. Her parents got on the plane and would land in a few hours now. Since she was so close to having the baby, they planned on staying for two weeks to help with the baby. And with Piper and Leo around, Veronica thanked the stars that she and Wyatt would have all the help as they adjusted to their new normal.

Veronica closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She experienced a little abdominal pain, but it resembled the baby kicking, so she didn’t overthink it. She focused on keeping herself mellow so that she didn’t put any unnecessary stress on her body.

“Think. Think. Think.” Veronica ignored the talk show playing on the TV. Her thoughts drifted to post-baby life. “Give it a month or two, and then I’ll go on the job market. You graduated, and Wyatt got promoted, so you have a little time. Wyatt’s family can step in for all the babysitting, so that’s one less problem. That gives you time to find a good job without too much pressure. Alright, I should be fine. We should be fine.” She touched her belly as she felt the baby moving. “Come on, kid. Take it easy on me.” 

Veronica sighed as she felt the baby settling. Piper came back with lunch, which Veronica would happily eat. The cold gazpacho would feel amazing as today was a bit of a scorcher. 

“Let me know if you need anything else, hun,” said Piper. “I’m going to fix myself some tea.”

“I will. Thank you!”

*~*

Hours later, Wyatt left work and got the ice cream that Veronica wanted. He bought a gallon of the good stuff from a local ice cream shop. She had enough stress from carrying the baby, so he wanted to make sure that she got the best care possible.

Wyatt hummed along to the Aly and AJ song playing on his phone. He turned the corner to reach his apartment complex as he sent a text to Veronica that he was almost home. His mind drifted as he wondered how much longer until the baby arrived. 

When Wyatt reached for his keys, he felt a sudden chill in the air. It startled him since this week was a real scorcher. He thought the chill meant that it would rain, so he looked at the sky only to find a clear sky. 

“That’s odd.” Wyatt didn’t know what to make of the chill. He stuck his keys into the keyhole and started to open the building’s door when he caught a glimpse of another face in the window. He didn’t see just his reflection, but he also saw an old man's face. 

Wyatt nearly jumped as he looked behind him only to see that there wasn’t anyone there. His heartbeat started to get steadier, but he couldn’t help but feel a little paranoid. The face appeared familiar as he recognized the pale-faced man with brown hair in a dark suit. He only encountered such a man years ago. No. The man was no man. It was the Angel of Death.

“Please don’t let it be him.” Wyatt closed his eyes before staring at the window again. He didn’t see Death, so he assumed it was his stress over the baby that caused him to hallucinate seeing Death.

Wyatt took a deep breath. “It was all in your head. It was all in your head. Everything is fine.” Wyatt went inside and made his way upstairs. 

However, Wyatt had good reason to fear Death.

Outside the building, Death manifested once more. Death frowned before fading into smoke as even Death felt guilt over what would soon come to pass.

*~*

In their mansion, the Hellfire Club turned to Zurie for her prophecy. Dark energy flashed across Zurie’s eyes. A vision played itself out, illuminating the signal that the Hellfire Club spent months waiting to appear.

Zurie blinked as the vision finished. She tightened the scarlet shawl around her chest while turning to her associates. “It’s time to release him from his prison. Veronica is moments from labor. Wyatt will be distracted.”

Seth grinned. He reached for the bottle of water from the Sacred Spring. “Then, let us make our move. Come, friends. We have Charmed Ones to kill.”

They followed Seth’s lead. They descended to the Underworld’s most remote part, where some of the Source’s enemies laid sealed in prison.

The tormented screams of the damned echoed across the caverns. Hellfire roared. And the air radiated with malevolent energy. They knew where they would find their new comrade. 

Wandering down the depths of a particular cavern, they found themselves standing before a reversed pentagram with numerous runes drawn. Azazel blasted the pentagram with dark lightning that demolished the wall. It revealed a prison cell made from the bones of ancient demons with mummified hand locked inside. 

Seth glanced at Zagon and Lamia. 

Lamia bit her hand to draw fresh blood, while Zagon reached for a black key. Lamia dripped her blood over the key, granting whatever magic that Zagon needed. Zagon unlocked the cell and allowed Abigor to make the next move. 

Abigor took the spring water from Seth then poured it over the mummified hand. He immediately raced out of the cell before it exploded from dark magic. 

The mummified hand boiled with blood. The blood expanded and covered the ground as a beastly figure arose. Seth snapped his fingers to create strips of fabric to bind the beastly entity before it took its proper form. The demon had its body bounded like a mummy, which proved frustrating, but the demon also became aware of its freedom.

“Who dares to release me?” hissed the demon. “The Source will smite such heretics!”

Azazel stepped forward. “The Source is dead. It is the age of the Hellfire Club, Kushiel.” 

The demon turned to Azazel even as the fabric left him blind. “Azazel? Is that you?”

“Yes, old friend. My associates and I have released you. And we have a request to ask of you.”

Seth waved at Kushiel. “Hello, Kushiel! I am the son of the Source. I wanted you free so that you could punish those who are our enemies.”

Kushiel stared at the fabric. He huffed. “The magic is familiar. I do smell the Source on you, boy. And yet, you are different.” Kushiel clenched his fist. “I will listen only because Azazel appears to tolerate your presence.”

Azazel resisted the urge to chuckle, while Seth tried not to find the offense in Kushiel’s words. 

“Demon of Vengence,” continued Seth, “great tormenter of the virtuous and the wicked! You are one of many who turned against the Source. Now, here’s your chance at redemption and a place amongst the new order we are creating. And all that we ask if that you kill two witches.”

“Witches? You go through such trouble to free me to kill a pair of witches? Are you that weak, Source child? Or is there more to these witches?”

Seth grinned. “A wise conclusion. These witches are the Charmed Ones. I take it that you heard of them?”

Kushiel nodded. “We were foretold of their coming before my imprisonment. But are there not three Charmed Ones?”

“I wish to kill the third personally. However, I want you to kill the younger two: Christopher and Joseph Halliwell.”

“So be it.” Kushiel tugged on the binding. “I take it I can remove these?”

“Only when you find your targets. We wouldn’t want you to lose all semblance of control, oh greater punisher.”

Kushiel smirked underneath the bindings. “Where do I find these Charmed Ones?”

*~*

“It’s getting late.” Joey approached the tent that Carver and he had set up in the middle of the woods. Joey turned the lantern on and left it inside as he checked to see Carver clearing out their camp. 

Joey’s car was parked on the grass with the headlights on now as they finished getting ready for the full moon and Carver’s wolfy episode. 

Carver dumbed everything that they didn’t need into the car. “Yeah. I should get changed.” He started to strip. He took everything off so that he wouldn’t risk destroying anything while in his wolf form. He tossed his clothes and shoes into the tent with Joey, leaving himself standing in the nude. The moonlight danced across his skin, pulling at his every thought. “The wolf wants to come out. I should get phasing before he lashes out.” Carver kissed Joey’s cheek. “Are you sure you’ll be okay out here alone?”

Joey nodded. He held up a book by Ocean Vuong. “I got my poetry and notebook. I’ll be here writing bad poems.”

“What if a demon attacks?”

“I borrowed PJ’s powers so I can fight and run away if needed.” Joey kissed Carver’s nose. “Now, go be a wolf! And don’t hurt any poor camper.”

Carver chuckled. “Yes, sir!” He took a few steps back while Joey got closer to the tent. He started to shift. His bones cracked, and more hair grew everywhere while his muscles grew. 

A howl echoed into the air as Werewolf-Carver made himself known. He started to walk deeper into the woods when Joey stopped him.

Joey folded his arms behind his back. “Wolfy! If you come back when I’m still awake, then say something. I don’t want to attack you by accident. Okay?”

Werewolf-Carver nodded. “Oh一kay.” He raced into the woods, leaving Joey behind. 

Joey turned his car off before returning to the tent and zipped it up so that he didn’t have to worry about bugs crawling inside. He hated camping, but he wanted to make sure that he could keep Carver safe too. He slipped off his shoes and left them in the corner with Carver’s shoes as he made himself comfortable.

A few hours went by, with Joey too focused on the poems. He took in Vuong as inspiration as he scribbled a few lines into his notebook. None of his poems sound anywhere as good as Vuong, but he tried to find his creative voice. 

Joey glanced at his phone. He surprisingly had service out here, which proved great since Veronica was due soon. He waited eagerly from Wyatt’s text that Veronica went into labor, but still nothing. He decided that he might as well get to bed, so he put everything into his backpack. He turned the lantern off and found himself relieved that it wasn’t too dark in the woods.

They picked a clear enough spot where the moon and stars could illuminate the area. It didn’t have quite the horror movie vibe that Joey feared. However, next time, he would see if they could find a small cabin and still be plenty secluded. Then again, he also saw enough horror movies that cabins weren’t exactly any safer.

Joey crawled onto the sleeping bag since it was too hot to sleep inside it. He began to drift off to sleep and didn’t know how long he slept for, but being out in the woods kept him somewhat conscious of his surroundings. He felt rested enough when he started to hear heavy noises outside the tent.

A low growl echoed that Joey didn’t quite hear. However, the figure got closer to the tent and made itself heard.

“Jo一ey.” Werewolf-Carver stood far enough from the tent so that Joey could hear but also not frighten him. Werewolf-Carver listened closely to Joey’s breathing and heartbeat to tell that Joey should still be okay. “Me. Here.”

Joey rubbed his eyes. He could somewhat see Werewolf-Carver but needed to turn the lantern on to get a better look. “You good, Wolfy?” He checked his watch. “It’s only a little after two. Shouldn’t you still be running wild?”

“Done.” Werewolf-Carver approached the tent. He pointed at the zipper. “Miss. You.”

Joey smiled. He undid the zipper. “So you going to shift back before climbing inside. It’ll be a tight fit if you stay in that form.”

Werewolf-Carver frowned. Well, he frowned as much as he could with his wolfy-face. “Can. I. Stay?”

“Okay. First. No fleas or ticks.” Joey bit his lip as he started thinking. He recited a spell on the spot with whisps of light manifesting to remove anything that stuck to Werewolf-Carver. He made room for Werewolf-Carver’s massive frame could squeeze into the tent.

It proved a tight fit, but they made it work. Werewolf-Carver laid on the sleeping bag. He radiated so much heat that Joey had to shrug off more clothing. Joey ditched his shirt and jeans then began to lay next to Werewolf-Carver, feeling the sturdy frame.

Werewolf-Carver wrapped an arm around Joey. “You. Happy?”

Joey nodded as he rubbed his face against Werewolf-Carver’s hairy chest. “Very. You’re very comfy too. Perfect for sleeping.”

Werewolf-Carver grinned. “Love. You.”

Joey chuckled. Part of him found it odd that a big scary werewolf proved as soft and loving as an average dog. However, he also found it adorable as he could see Carver even in the werewolf form. Joey rolled up and kissed Werewolf-Carver’s snout. “Love you too.” Joey buried his face back against Werewolf-Carver’s chest as they resumed their cuddling position.

Werewolf-Carver gently held Joey’s body and started to close his eyes as they drifted off to sleep together.

*~*

“Thanks Chris! I’ll give you a call next week.”

“Great! They’ll be ready.” Chris got to packing his photography gear. He placed the camera back into its case while Bianca took apart the tripod. 

Chris had his last photography job for a while. He took some engagement photos for a receptionist at Wyatt’s work. He got lucky in scoring another gig before the school year started at Magic School, leaving him one less thing to stress over. 

They took the photos at Golden Gate Park since they had a clear, sunny day that worked perfectly for engagement photos. 

Bianca zipped the sun reflector into its bag. “Shall we do lunch at the gyro place? I’m craving lamb.”

Chris moaned. “That sounds delicious! Their baklava sounds amazing too.”

Bianca cheered. “A feast we shall have!”

“Am I invited to the feast?”

Chris and Bianca abandoned the photography equipment to spot Kushiel’s bandage covered figure. They stared at Kushiel, confused at who he was, but knew to fear something mummy-looking.

Kushiel undid some of the bandages to reveal his mummified hand. Sand poured from the bandage, which Chris and Bianca found odd. The sand hardened as it touched the ground and arose into blood-colored crystals. The crystals floated to Kushiel, which he flung after Chris and Bianca, the crystals growing twice in size. 

Chris shoved Bianca before the crystal struck. The crystals crashed into nearby trees, breaking sections of the trees in a single blow. Kushiel huffed while unwinding more of the fabric to construct more crystals.

“Your life ends here, witch!” Kushiel grabbed one of the crystals. He restructured it into a sword that he swung at Chris. 

Chris twisted his hand back. “Crystal!” He orbed one of the other crystals that Kushiel created to fling at Kushiel. The crystal collided against Kushiel’s crystal sword, generating a shockwave that sent Kushiel stumbling backward. 

Bianca flicked her wrist, forming an energy ball. She flung it at Kushiel, which blasted a section of the bandages to reveal more of Kushiel’s mummified body. “Chris, did you take a trip to Egypt and fuck with a crypt without telling me?”

“Of course not!” Chris stumbled to his feet. “I watched _The Mummy_ enough times not to do something that stupid.” He wiggled his fingers. Electrical sparks ignited as he fired chains of lightning at Kushiel. 

Kushiel covered his heart. The ground began to quake as dirt rose to cover his body, shielding him from Chris’s lightning. The electrical blast shattered the earthly barrier, but Kushiel showed no signs of being easily bested. 

Chris amplified his lightning, but it did little to make Kushiel budge. “I might need Wyatt and Joey to vanquish him!”

Bianca ran to a tree and pulled the crystal out. “Or not!” She flung the crystal at Kushiel with the crystal exploding against Chris’s lightning and Kushiel’s earthly barrier. The blast hurled Kushiel back, forcing him to take a knee. Bianca created another energy ball. “Fuck off, demon! You won’t win against us!”

“Clever.” Kushiel got back to his feet. “We aren’t finished here.” Sand covered Kushiel’s body as he retreated for now.

With Kushiel gone, Chris began to lower his guard. He looked around to see that the fight didn’t appear to destroy his equipment, but he would check later. “I think we need the Power of Three. First, we need to find out who the hell attacked us.” 

Bianca nodded. She helped Chris grab his equipment before they left the park.

*~*

Wyatt cleaned the kitchen after lunch while Veronica showered. He scrubbed the skillet as he tried to ignore that he possibly saw the Angel of Death yesterday. It was his mind playing tricks on him. There was no way that Death was stalking him, Veronica, or the baby. He blamed it on pregnancy stress and nothing else. 

Wyatt placed the skillet onto the drying rack. His mind drifted back to the possibility that Death did come to warn him. Death visited the family before, once to warn Piper of Leo’s death that led to her bargaining with the Angel of Destiny, then Death visited Joey to warn him of Mark’s impending death. 

Is Death making an effort to reach out to Wyatt to warn him of something painful approaching?

“No!” Wyatt shook his head. “It is all in my head. Everything is fine. I’m just a little stressed. That’s all. It’s nothing else!”

“Wyatt!” Veronica screamed.

Wyatt cut the sink off. His fears of Death sent him into overdrive. He raced into the bathroom to find Veronica standing with a towel wrapped around her as she stood in a puddle of light yellow liquid.

Veronica heaved as she stared at Wyatt wide-eyed. “My water broke.”

“Okay.” Wyatt tried to maintain his calm. He helped keep Veronica steady as she walked over the puddle. “Get dressed and call your parents. I’ll clean this mess and grab our stuff. And I’ll orb us to the hospital.”

Veronica nodded. She stepped out of the bathroom while Wyatt grabbed another towel. He was about to start cleaning when she turned back to him. “We’re going to be parents soon.”

Wyatt grinned. He looked over his shoulder to see tears trickling from Veronica’s eyes. “We are. Scared?”

“Petrified.” Veronica left to get changed, leaving Wyatt to clean the mess. 

Wyatt dumped the towel into the laundry basket. He would worry about cleaning it later since all he could think about now was the baby. “I’m going to become someone’s daddy.” He took a deep breath. “I’m going to be a dad.” 

*~*

At the manor, Chris’s hands hovered over the Book of Shadows to find any reference to Kushiel. He went through the book twice but saw no demon that matched Kushiel’s description, which left him nervous. 

Meanwhile, Bianca shimmered into the attic with Joey and Carver holding onto her hands. 

Joey crossed his arms as he went over to Chris and the Book. “Any idea who the demon is? We can’t miss the baby’s birth. Not when we’re their uncles and godfathers.”

“Nothing.” Chris stopped telekinetically searching the Book. He closed it as no demon matched. “This demon is either too old or too new. Either way, he was too powerful for Bianca and me to fight alone.”

Carver tugged on his shirt. The fabric stretched enough to reveal the Elven fabric underneath that he wore for when he shifted. “That’s not good. You’ll need Joey and me to help you face this demon again.”

“And me.” Bianca squeezed onto Chris’s arm. “We can’t ask Wyatt to leave Veronica’s side. He can’t miss the birth of his child. At least not without more information to go on.”

“Right.” Chris sighed. “If we knew who the demon was, then we can at least find out if we need the Power of Three or not.”

Joey nodded. “We should bring our weapons. Apollo’s bow and your whip should have what it takes to vanquish this fucker.”

Light-blue orbs appeared as Brody manifested into view. Brody had a nervous look on his face, which Chris and Joey knew meant nothing but bad news. “Good! You haven’t left.” Brody went over to them. “The Elders managed to identify your demon. And it isn’t good.”

Joey rolled his eyes and groaned. “For once, I’d like the Elders to give us good news. Like we’re getting a puppy!” He reached for Carver, resting his head against Carver’s shoulder. “Alright, Brody. Give it to us. Who is the demon that tried to kill Chris and Bianca?”

“The Demon of Vengeance, Kushiel,” said Brody. “He’s an ancient demon that goes back to the early days of man. Legend states that Kushiel manifested from the blood of the first murdered human. The human’s blood so stained the earth that Kushiel arose driven by his mission of vengeance with complete mastery over the earth. His mind so fueled with vengeance that he would even come to attack the Source to avenge the mortals and demons that the Source killed, ending in his banishment to the depths of the Underworld.” 

Bianca scratched her head. “So...Kushiel is tied to the story of Cain and Abel? Is Kushiel the Mark of Cain?”

Carver shuddered. “The mark is said to represent a beast. Maybe the story got twisted over the millennia. Either way, this demon sounds powerful.”

“Very.” Brody turned to Chris and Joey. “I say that you need Wyatt, but...given Veronica’s situation.”

“We have to handle this alone,” said Chris. “Or at least try.”

Joey nodded. “At least we have the best boyfriend and best girlfriend backing us up!” Joey squeezed Carver’s arm and glanced at Bianca. “Ready to help us kill a super demon?”

“Always.” Carver looked at the potion cabinet. “We should grab everything we can. There’s no sense in us taking any chance with this demon.”

“Good luck,” said Brody. “I’ll stay on standby if you need anything.”

*~*

It didn’t take long for them to find seismic disturbances. Although the seismic disturbance didn’t grow to the point that it would alert a government response, Chris and Joey could narrow Kushiel’s location. They brought Bianca and Carver with them so that they didn’t take any unnecessary risks.

They orbed to an old warehouse near the harbor. They could tell by the fishy smell that the warehouse used to store or process fish. The scent of decades of rotting fish left an odor that no amount of air freshener could eliminate, so they had no choice but to tolerate the stench.

Carver gagged. “Good thing I’m not in wolf form. Wolfy’s sensitive smell might have him going berserk.”

“It’s cute,” said Chris, “how you try to act like your werewolf side isn’t you.”

Bianca rubbed her thumb against a vial of vanquishing potion. “Focus, boys. We don’t know where Kushiel is, and he could pop up at any minute.”

Joey nodded while he tugged on the bowstring of Apollo’s bow. “Right! Stay on guard. Demons like to strike when we least expect it.” He stepped near the steel door to an old freezer when it blasted itself from the hinges. The door nearly struck him and could’ve easily broken a few bones from the force of the impact. He got spared from getting hit when Bianca and Carver pulled him back.

Kushiel emerged from the opening, more of the wrapping coming undone. He exposed more of his mummified body and began to grow patches of muscles, skin, and hair. His feet almost glided across the cold concrete with more patches of skin forming on his feet.

Chris noticed. He raised Starbreaker and brought it down to crack the energy whip. “Is it just me, or does he look different? You think being on solid earth is making him look less like a mummy?”

“Probably,” said Bianca. “That means we need to vanquish him fast!”

“Right!” Carver growled as he shifted into his werewolf form. 

Chris swung his whip at Kushiel to keep Kushiel distracted so Carver could shift. The whip sailed across the warehouse to strike Kushiel, only for Kushiel to grab the whip. The energy that the whip generated traveled across Kushiel’s body but did no harm. Instead, Kushiel took the energy to repair his mummified body. 

Chris tugged on the whip, attempting to retract it before Kushiel could recover. “Fuck! This jackass is strong!”

A howl echoed across the warehouse. Werewolf-Carver charged after Kushiel, swinging his claws. The claws dug into the mummified skin, but Kushiel seemed unphased. Kushiel cracked a finger, causing the concrete to explode. A pillar of dirt and concrete rippled across the warehouse to knock Werewolf-Carver away from Kushiel.

“No! Carver!” Joey’s screams echoed across the warehouse. He raised the bow, readying himself to fire a golden arrow at Kushiel. 

Kushiel sensed the arrow’s energy and knew it proved far too great of a risk. He tugged on the whip to force Chris to lose balance. Once Chris lost his footing, Kushiel slammed his foot to generate a concentrated shockwave that hurled Chris across the warehouse. 

Bianca tossed the vanquishing potion at Kushiel, only for Kushiel to fire a blast of sand. The sand neutralized the potion’s magic while it pushed forward. The sand struck Bianca and slammed her against a rusted pillar. 

Meanwhile, Kushiel gave Joey his undivided focus. Kushiel created more crystals from the ground to shield himself as the god-killing arrow nearly reached him. The crystals absorbed the arrow and exploded, crystal fragments glistening from the sunlight that peaked inside the warehouse. Kushiel took the second that Joey needed to rearm himself to make his next attack. Kushiel gathered the crystal fragment to create a crystal sheet that he slammed against Joey.

The impact caused Joey to lose his bow and roll towards the ground. Joey started seeing stars but recovered quickly as Kushiel fired another sandblast. The sand came at such volume that it would’ve easily suffocated Joey. Luckily, Joey still had PJ’s powers so he could use telekinesis to hold the sand back. However, the sand continued to pile up around Joey, it began to swallow him, and he would soon drown. 

The sand started to reach Joey’s chest, causing him to panic as he neared fainting. 

Werewolf-Carver got back on his feet to see Joey nearing death. Rage boiled to the surface, and the yellow eyes darkened, while Werewolf-Carver howled and charged after Kushiel again. This time Werewolf-Carver could leave his mark. He sank his fangs into Kushiel’s shoulder, forcing Kushiel to release the magic. 

The sand still piled up around Joey, half-burying him as he fainted. Chris swung his arms to move the sand to get to Joey, while Bianca went to cover Werewolf-Carver.

Kushiel dispersed into the sand to free himself from Werewolf-Carver’s fangs. Kushiel clenched his fist. A chunk of concrete floated, and Kushiel smashed it against Werewolf-Carver’s back when Bianca’s energy ball struck Kushiel in the face. More of the fabric burned from Kushiel’s face, revealing more of his revolting appearance.

Kushiel growled. “Enough! I will not allow you to shame me!” Kushiel waved his hand over the holes in the ground. He called magma to the surface and prepared to burn them all alive. However, he wouldn’t get that far as a golden arrow scrapped his arm, scorching his flesh. 

The magma receded beneath the surface while Kushiel stumbled back. He looked to find Bianca holding Apollo’s bow. She wasn’t a skilled archer like Joey, but Kushiel didn’t know that. And since she did hit him, he took that as a warning to retreat.

Sand erupted from Kushiel’s body as he retreated once more. 

Bianca sighed. She worried that Kushiel wouldn’t take the bait. “Is everyone good?” She looked to see Chris healing Joey then noticed Werewolf-Carver struggling to his feet. She ran over to him. “Carver! Wolfy! Do you need help?”

As Bianca got closer, Werewolf-Carver growled at her. The rage from Kushiel nearly killing Joey still blinded Werewolf-Carver to everything. Bianca raised the bow in case she needed it. “Wolfy,” Bianca said calmly. “You have two seconds to stand down before I vanquish you.”

Werewolf-Carver growled again, only for Bianca to draw the arrow. Werewolf-Carver bared his fangs to pounce only to catch a glimpse of Joey moving as Chris finished healing him. Seeing Joey in better health released Werewolf-Carver from his rage. Werewolf-Carver relaxed and noticed Bianca aiming an arrow for his head. 

In a second, Werewolf-Carver shifted back into Carver. Carver collapsed to his knees, exhausted from his rage, while Bianca lowered the bow. “I’m sorry, Bianca,” said Carver. “I should’ve kept myself in control of my emotions.”

Bianca sighed. She grabbed Carver’s arm and forced him to his feet without much effort. “Keep it together, wolf boy. If you lose it every time that Joey gets hurt, then you’ll remain in a constant state of anger, and you’ll put us all in danger.” She shoved Carver towards Joey. “Go check on your boy.”

Carver nodded. He whispered an apology again before going over to help Joey to his feet.

*~*

Meanwhile, Wyatt stepped out of Veronica's room. He dropped off some ice chips since the nurses already put Veronica on a no-food diet as she showed signs of dilating at a steady pace. He fiddled with his phone, sending off another round of texts to Chris and Joey to get them to the hospital. "I swear to the gods if they miss my kid's birth," said Wyatt, "I'm shoving Excalibur so far up their asses."

"Don't threaten the uncles." Tamora came around the corner with cups of coffee. She handed one over to Wyatt since they didn't know how long they'd have to wait for Veronica to go into labor. 

Alessandro, Cristina, and Leo made it to the hospital without any trouble. However, Piper still had about an hour before she could leave the restaurant because of a private party that specifically catered her as their private chef. And since everyone else was busy at work or school, Tamora stepped up to act as Wyatt's support.

Wyatt sipped the coffee. "Thanks, Tam. I guess I'm a little on edge."

"Babies tend to do that," said Tamora. "I volunteered at the daycare enough times to know that much."

"Right." Wyatt didn't mention that he also dealt with the stress of seeing the Angel of Death. He didn't want to risk jinxing Death's coming if it turned out a hallucination. "And thanks for coming. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

Tamora held onto his arm. "Anytime, cuz! Now, come on, daddy. You need to support your baby momma."

"There you are!" Brody ran down the hallway with a visitor sticker on his shirt. He had a frantic look on his face. "Chris and Joey are in trouble. They're facing a powerful demon. They said that they didn't need the Power of Three, but I sensed Joey almost die."

Wyatt clenched his phone. He focused so much on Death coming after Veronica and the baby that he failed to consider his brothers' lives. "What! Why didn't they call me?"

"Because they didn't want you to miss the baby's birth." Brody shook his head. "I'm not liking this. They need help now."

"Then, I'llー"

"I'll go!" Tamora went over to Brody while staring at Wyatt. "We'll get Hank and the girls to help. We should have enough power to vanquish this demon so that you can stay here."

Wyatt bit his lip. "What if it's not enough?"

"Then, we'll call you," said Tamora. "But now, focus on Veronica and the baby. We got this." She tugged on Brody's arm. "Let's go! We have reinforcements to gather."

Brody nodded. "Okay." He turned to Wyatt. "Good luck, dad."

Wyatt tried to smile, but couldn't. He hated sending his family off to risk their lives against a demon when he couldn't join them. "Thanks. You be careful out there, Tam. And call if you need me."

"We'll try not to." Tamora made Brody follow as they ran out of the hospital to get the others.

Wyatt closed his eyes and sighed. "Please make it back."

*~*

Racing out of the warehouse, Chris clung onto Starbreaker while keeping a lookout for Kushiel. Bianca kept close while Carver supported a still recovering Joey. They wandered into the old shipping yard, where everything got loaded into trucks. So far, Kushiel hadn’t returned for a comeback, but they knew he would strike again at any minute. They couldn’t take any chance and needed to ready themselves for battle even in their injured state.

Chris’s heart hammered against his chest. Sweat trickled down his neck. And every nerve in his body itched for a fight. He tried to steady his breathing, but the thought of Kushiel reappearing when they least expected it proved too troublesome. 

“Should we try calling Wyatt?” Joey held onto Carver’s arm. He stumbled with every step as Chris’s healing didn’t undo all the damage that Kushiel caused. “I’m not sure we can survive another fight. We need the Power of Three.”

Reaching for the phone, Chris’s gut told him to call Wyatt. However, Chris also didn’t want to deprive Wyatt of such a precious moment. “Not yet.” Chris tightened his hold on Starbreaker, the whip manifesting even longer than usual and coiled around his feet. “We can’t take Wyatt away from Veronica. We have to vanquish this bastard without him!”

“And there went your last chance.” Kushiel’s voice echoed across the yard. A sandstorm surged as Kushiel covered much of the yard, forcing everyone to get back. Carver immediately shifted into his werewolf form while Bianca went to help Joey. Chris cracked his whip as they watched Kushiel’s mummified body manifest. 

The wrapping blew completely off Kushiel’s body, revealing his mummified figure. He had even more tissue, muscle, skin, and hair covering his exposed body as the earthly contact restored more of him. The sandstorm subsided, but the lingering sand began to swirl around him as he no doubt plotted to use it against them.

Werewolf-Carver growled. “Kill! Him!”

Chris grabbed the whip. “That’s right, Wolfy! We’ll kill this bastard!” He flung the whip and entangled it round Kushiel. The golden energy radiated as it seemed to restraint Kushiel, allowing Werewolf-Carver the chance to strike. 

Once more, Werewolf-Carver pounced on Kushiel. He sank his fangs into Kushiel’s shoulder, near the other bitemark. Kushiel hissed as he felt the bite but wouldn’t so easily fall. Kushiel gathered the sand and smashed it against Werewolf-Carver’s chest. The sand struck with such force that it forced Werewolf-Carver to release Kushiel, while the sand further pushed him across the shipping yard. Werewolf-Carver crashed into the harbor and sank beneath the tide.

“Carver!” shouted Joey.

“I got this!” Bianca grabbed an athame from its sheath and tossed it. The athame flew until it struck Kushiel between the eyes. However, the athame proved as useful as the other attacks. 

Kushiel huffed. He flexed until the whip shattered, causing Chris to stumble. He pulled the athame from his forehead and turned it into sand. “You’ve all become such a nuisance.” He wiggled his fingers, and the ground began to crack. Magma began to rise to the surface, melting the surrounding cement. “I only had orders to kill Christopher and Joseph. However, you will die too, Phoenix! As will you, werewolf!”

Kushiel readied to burn everyone alive when he exploded into a cloud of sand. 

The explosion surprised them, but as Kushiel’s sandy ashes littered the ground, they would find reinforcements. Tamora and Paulina had their hands raised as they blew Kushiel to pieces. PJ and Hank stood beside them as they braced themselves for Kushiel’s return.

Chris shook his head. “What are you doing here?”

“Brody and Tamora told us you were in trouble!” PJ ran over with everyone else following. They gathered closer as Kushiel began to reconstitute himself. “Good thing they did. This demon doesn’t feel right.”

Hank nodded. “Brody called him a demon of vengeance? It looks like you need all the help you can get with Wyatt busy.”

Joey resisted the pain. He looked out to the harbor where he spotted Carver making it to the surface but didn’t move much more as shifting back to human form and reaching the surface took too much strength. However, no matter how much Joey wanted to run to Carver, Joey couldn’t get closer until they dealt with Kushiel. “I can vanquish him with my arrows. But I need you to keep him busy.”

“That we can do!” Tamora cracked her knuckles. “Who needs the Power of Three when you have the Power of Six?”

The sand hardened as Kushiel regained his full form. 

Paulina flicked her fingers to blast Kushiel again. Alone her magic didn’t do much but make Kushiel stumble, but it was all that they needed right now. “So hit him fast and hard. Take no chances, folks. We need to vanquish him so that we get to the hospital.”

Kushiel stumbled as Paulina blasted him again. Tamora supported Paulina in blasting Kushiel, but Kushiel wouldn’t fall so easily. Crystals began to move across Kushiel’s body as he constructed a shield to absorb the explosions.

Kushiel twisted his hands, calling the magma to the surface now that he had his protection. The magma surrounded Kushiel and prevented them from getting any closer. The magma also began to spread wider, burning much of the shipping yard. 

Hank blew a freezing air at the magma. His ice helped to slow the magma’s spread, but it wasn’t enough. The magma began to melt Hank’s ice, allowing the magma to expand. PJ helped in using her telekinesis to push the magma back beneath the surface. Her resistance started to eat at Kushiel’s concentration, which gave Hank the assistance needed to keep that magma frozen. 

Chris channeled lightning through his arms before firing it. He created the strongest blast of lightning that he could generate to demolish Kushiel’s crystal armor so that he could expose a weak point. As Chris’s lightning left its mark, Bianca saw a soft spot opening near his left rib. She tossed an energy ball that hit its mark as it blasted the thin layer of crystal to expose soft flesh.

Kushiel spat blood as he struggled against the widespread assault. “Blasted witches! I’ll burn you all!”

Even in his enraged state, they succeeded in spreading Kushiel’s focus too thin. Kushiel couldn’t rebuild his defenses as he struggled to maintain some control over the fight. The tide turned against him, leaving him vulnerable to a well-marked attack.

Joey raised Apollo’s bow. He tugged on the bowstring and generated a golden arrow that he aimed for Kushiel’s exposed rib. “Go back to hell, fucker!” He released the arrow. It sailed across the shipping yard and struck Kushiel’s rib, shattering what remained of Kushiel’s focus.

The magma subsided, and the crystals crumbled. Kushiel’s eyes turned pale as his body slowly crumbled to sand as the arrow’s divine energy annihilated his cells. “Damn.” Kushiel collapsed to his knees with his body crumbling into blackened sand that would soon fade entirely. 

Joey dropped Apollo’s bow as he ran towards the harbor. He dove to the water and started to pull Carver to shore. Everyone else started to help him. Hank and Chris got into the water too, while Bianca and PJ pulled Carver out. Paulina started to perform CPR while Tamora and Chris healed Carver.

Water spat out of Carver’s mouth as he practically coughed out a lung. Carver grabbed onto his chest as everything ached horribly. His eyes fluttered open, allowing him to notice everyone else. “Did we win?”

Joey hugged Carver, almost squeezing the life out of him. “Yeahーwe won.”

Chris sighed. They made it out alive. However, he didn’t have much of a chance to celebrate their victory as his phone, surprisingly, rang despite the water damage. He stared at his phone as a text managed to come from Piper.

“Veronica’s at ten centimeters. They’re moving her to the delivery room!” 

*~*

Late into the evening, the maternity ward at San Francisco Memorial appeared more lively than other parts of the hospital. It still had a full staff with plenty of families wandering as dozens of babies entered the world. And today was no different as a new Halliwell took their first breath. 

Chris and Joey rushed into the maternity ward, looking for Veronica’s room. They got immediate clearance into the ward since they were part of the immediate family, leaving everyone else outside to wait on the news. They brought colorful balloons and stuffed animals as their first gifts to the baby.

They found a weeping Piper outside of the room with Leo hugging her close. The elation dissipated as Chris and Joey feared impending bad news. 

Joey tugged on Chris’s arm as they braced themselves for the worst. “Mom. Dad. Are the baby and Veronica okay?”

Piper brushed her tears with a tissue. Her face beat red as they couldn’t recall a time in their lives that she cried so much. “Veronica and Selena are good.” She smiled, which made Chris and Joey giddy. “Selena. I finally got my girl! A granddaughter.”

Leo kept hugging Piper as he nudged his head. “Go introduce yourselves.”

They stepped into the hospital room to catch the tail end of a conversation. 

“My everything hurts,” said Veronica.

“That’s normal, sweetie,” said Cristina. “But if it persists, then tell the nurse to make sure you’re okay.”

“She’s so beautiful,” said Alessandro.

“She’s perfect,” said Wyatt.

Chris and Joey saw a stunning sight. An exhausted and sweat-covered Veronica laid in bed, but she had a smile on her face. She held onto Cristina’s hand while Cristina looked over her shoulder to look at the tiny pink bundle in Wyatt’s arms. Wyatt sat shirtless as he had Selena’s face against his chest. He had the widest grin on his face, while Alessandro hovered next to him, grinning at his grandchild. 

Before the moment passed, Chris grabbed his phone to snap a photo. The flash shocked everyone.

Wyatt looked up to notice Chris and Joey. He lost the fear that someone would die hours ago once he got a text from Tamora saying that they vanquished the demon. “Hey! The uncles finally made it.” He adjusted Selena carefully so he could hold her firmly as he stood. He showed Selena, who struggled to keep her brown eyes open as she nestled against his chest. Her pinkish-brown skin made her look more like Veronica. “Say hello to Selena. All six and three-quarters pounds and 20 inches of her.”

“Look at that baby!” Chris stroked Selena’s chin. “Can I hold her?” 

“Yes. Remember to support her head.” Wyatt passed Selena over, allowing Chris to have her first chance at holding her.

Chris sighed as he held Selena close. “Wow!” A tear trickled down his cheek. He kissed her forehead. “Hi, Selena. I’m your Uncle Chris.” She cooed in his arms, making him cry more as he found it adorable. “Oh, dang! I’m going to let you get away with murder!”

“My turn! My turn!” Joey carefully took Selena so that he could have his moment. And like Chris, Joey felt an instant attachment to Selena. “Hi, sweetie. And I’m your Uncle Joey. Your super cool guncle that you can come to for anything you need.” He kissed her forehead too. He managed to hold back his tears until he handed Selena back to Wyatt. Then, the floodgates went wild. 

Wyatt went over to the bed to give Selena back to Veronica. “The nurse will be back in twenty minutes to take Selena to the nursery. So enjoy all the time you got with her.

“Oh!” Veronica cradled Selena while everyone watched. “Trust me. I will enjoy every second with my sweet, beautiful baby girl.”

Chris grabbed his phone. “In that case, let me get more photos for the baby book! Who knows if you’ll get to experience this again.” Chris snapped a photo of Veronica holding Selena. He told Wyatt to get into the photo so that he could get one of them together. 

The camera clicked as Chris took several more photos to make sure they’d have all the photos they’d ever want.

*~*

Outside the hospital, moving without anyone noticing, Seth stood in the parking lot with a pink balloon in hand. He looked at the windows, finding Veronica's room without any trouble. He could see inside and see the family gathering to welcome Selena into the world.

Even with Kushiel failing to kill Chris and Joey, Seth still found a minor victory in failure. Wyatt's new fatherly duties would distract him, leaving the Power of Three exposed more so than ever before. Seth could use that to his advantage so that he could claim his revenge. He would still destroy the Charmed Ones, but now he'd need to adjust his plans slightly to account for Wyatt's fatherhood.

Seth grinned as he focused on Selena. "Hello, little cousin. Have a wonderful life." He released the balloon and laughed. 

Flames covered Seth's body as he returned to the mansion to begin the next phase of his master plan. 

*~*

That morning, an exhausted but ecstatic Wyatt stood outside the nursery, his eyes focused on Selena in her little bassinet. A few other new dads also gathered, watching their kids like protective papa bears. Wyatt couldn’t sleep on the hospital couch, so he spent much of the night reading advice for new parents while Veronica got some much-needed sleep.

Wyatt brushed the tears from his eyes. He couldn’t believe that it happened. He had a kid now. He was someone’s dad. 

“Looking good, Papa Wyatt.” Leo’s voice echoed in the hallway. He brought Alessandro with them to have a grandfather moment with Selena when they found Wyatt at the nursery. Leo patted Wyatt’s back. “How do you feel? You look exhausted.”

“I am.” Wyatt smiled. “But...I feel good. Like all my senses are heightened.” He laughed when he noticed how odd that sounded. “That doesn’t make sense.”

Alessandro shook his head. “It does. I felt the same after Cristina had Veronica.” He looked into the nursery, smiling when he saw Selena. “This is the new dad glow. Just like women have the new mom glow, dads have one too. Right, Leo?”

“Absolutely.” Leo smiled at Selena too. “After helping your mom deliver you, I felt exhausted but energized when I saw your face for the first time. It was the same with Joey too. I just wish things were different so we could enjoy Chris’s birth.”

Wyatt leaned his head on Leo’s shoulder. “This makes up for it, though, right? You get to enjoy being there for your granddaughter.”

“It helps.” 

They stayed at the nursery for far longer than any cared to admit. Alessandro said that they should check on Veronica so that she wasn’t alone with Cristina and Piper.

Wyatt smiled. “Let’s check on my baby momma.” He took a step towards the elevator when something sharp poked at his heart. It felt like a minor ache like he went for a long run or worked out a little too hard. He didn’t overthink it until the elevator doors dinged. 

Piper ran out of the elevator. Tears poured down her face. “Wyatt! Get upstairs quickly! Something’s wrong with Veronica!”

Wyatt’s heart sank, while the nursery fell silent as the other dads dared not make a sound. The vision of Death from the other day flashed before his eyes. He looked back into the nursery to see that Selena appeared fine as none of the nurses appeared panicked. He didn’t know what to think or say. He could only run for the elevator with Leo and Alessandro following.

The clock continued ticking even as time seemed frozen. Every fiber of Wyatt’s body screamed. Tears trickling as Piper explained that Veronica started complaining about a headache. As Cristina got a nurse, Veronica immediately had a stroke.

The elevator remained silent, even from the mechanical whirling, until its doors finally opened. Wyatt rushed to Veronica’s room only to find a hysterical Cristina weeping outside. Several nurses and doctors crowded the room. Wyatt only understood part of what they screamed from the months he spent helping Veronica study for her nursing exams. And while he didn’t understand much, he knew enough that outlook didn’t appear good.

“We’re losing her!” said a nurse.

“Turn up the voltage!” said a doctor.

Wyatt stood outside the door. His hand trembled. He could think of one that might save Veronica. “I can save her,” he whispered. “I can heal her.” He motioned to stop time. However, nothing froze. His hands trembled as nothing stopped, but his world felt like it came to a stop.

The machines beeped, the panicked cries, other patients and staff observing, and the cries of his family. Wyatt couldn’t bear it.

“I can save her!” Wyatt flicked his hands once more. Everything froze; however, everything felt different. Wyatt blamed it on his panicked state. 

“Wyatt!” Piper noticed everyone becoming still around them. However, even Leo, Alessandro, and Cristina appeared frozen. “You can’t! Personal一”

“Fuck the rules!” Wyatt stepped into the room so that he could hear Veronica. 

“ _You’re too late_ ,” said an eerily calm voice

Wyatt stood midstep. He shuddered from the chill. He looked over his shoulder to find the Angel of Death standing behind them. 

A silverish orb hovered over Death’s hand. He frowned as he looked at Wyatt. “Not even your powers advancing so you can stop time itself is enough to defy natural law. She is beyond your power to save.” Death took the silverish orb into his being. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. It is her time.”

Only then did Wyatt realize what the orb represented. Veronica’s soul. Wyatt wept as he ran at Death, a fist raised. “Give her back! It’s not her time!” Wyatt attempted to punch Death, only for Death to vanish. And as Wyatt bumped into the wall, time resumed its natural flow. 

Wyatt banged his fist against the wall while weeping, knowing that he could do nothing to save Veronica's life. 

The cardiac monitor flatlined. Alessandro and Cristina screamed. And the doctor gave a final diagnosis.

“Call it. Time of death. 10:07 a.m.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuuuuuck. That wasn't easy to write, but it's something I planned since drafting the fic. The next chapter will show us how Wyatt is grieving, but worse things are looming on the horizon. As the final chapter for this story arc shows Seth and the Hellfire Club making their deadliest move yet.


	30. It's the End of the World as We Know It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to another fun and sorrowful chapter! Lol. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!
> 
> And for my U.S. readers, I hope you already voted. As for my Election Day plans, I'll be drinking a lot of whiskey because I'm not dealing with this day sober.

The last two weeks proved exceptionally painful. 

Wyatt sat on the floor, his back against his bed frame. His eyes looked bloodshot, and his skin appeared pale. He stared out into nothing while listening to Selena’s gentle breathing. He hadn’t moved much since he fed Selena her breakfast and put her down for a nap. All he did was replay everything since Veronica’s death.

Veronica died at 10:07 a.m. She had a blood clot that the doctors didn’t notice when they originally reviewed her chart before she went into labor. The blood clot triggered a fatal stroke, and the doctors couldn’t do anything to save her. Even Wyatt couldn’t heal someone meant to die a natural death. At least that’s what he had to tell himself, or he’d lose it.

They cremated Veronica. Half her ashes went to Wyatt and Selena, while the other half went to her parents. And since they took several weeks off work, Wyatt offered up the apartment for them to stay in since he couldn’t live there anymore and would put it for rent at the end of the month. Wyatt moved back into the manor, returning to his childhood bedroom. 

Not long after Wyatt moved back in, Chris moved out to live with Bianca. But Chris frequently returned to the manor to help Selena since he also wanted Wyatt to have the space to give Selena a proper nursery. 

Wyatt would worry over the nursery later. Right now, he needed to give his heart time to mend.

The only thing Wyatt remained somewhat conscious of over was Selena. He listened to her as she started crying. He still didn’t know her cries that well as most of it sounded like noise to him. But this one he interpreted as her wanting attention since it wasn’t her banshee-like whaling when she was hungry or needed a diaper change. 

Wyatt scooped Selena from her crib and wrapped her in a lime-green blanket. Her crying ceased the moment she felt his arms. She had no clue what was going on in her life as she was far too young to know anything. But even a newborn could read emotions. She tugged on Wyatt’s shirt, rubbing her face against him.

“Knock. Knock.” Piper carefully pushed the door open. She grinned as she found Wyatt on the bed, cradling Selena. “You look exhausted, honey. I can take Selena off your hands so you can sleep.” She sniffed the air. “And take a shower.”

“Sure.” Wyatt handed Selena to Piper. “I should rest. And think. And rest.”

Piper bounced Selena in her arms, keeping Selena soothed. She looked at the dresser to see the photo that Chris took of Veronica, Selena, and Wyatt at the hospital. She could describe how grateful she felt that Chris took up photography and took as many photos as he did, so they had something of Veronica with Selena.

Piper sat on the edge of Wyatt’s bed. “I know it doesn’t feel like it, but it’ll get better soon. Losing mom, then Grams, and then Prue. My heart’s been ripped out enough times to know that it eventually gets easier. But let yourself feel. Let those emotions out now.” Selena cooed. Piper smiled as she wiggled a finger at Selena’s face. “And you can stay here as long as you want. Your dad and I have no intention of ever kicking you out.”

Wyatt huffed. “You’re only saying that because that means you have unlimited access to your grandchild.”

“I’m not above having an ulterior motive.” Piper carried Selena out of the room. “Take care of yourself, Wyatt. You got plenty of help with this one, so take advantage of that and get some self-care.”

“Thanks, mom,” Wyatt whispered as he rested his head on the pillow. But instead of sleeping, he only resumed crying.

*~*

At the Hellfire Club’s mansion, blood gushed from a woman’s slit throat and stained the tiled floor. Seth tilted the dying woman’s head to gather the blood into a gold tray. She gasped, trying in vain to stop the bleeding, but only accelerated her demise.

Seth ignored the woman’s panicked gasps as he took her blood to a pentagram he drew onto the floor. He drew runes around the pentagram with her blood to continue his ritual. “ _By innocent blood, I anoint myself. By innocent blood, I open my soul to receive._ ” Seth smeared the remaining blood over his face. “ _Let the primordial essence of evil into this space._ ”

The lights flickered. The air chilled. Painful cuts dug against Seth even as it left no scars and drew no blood. 

The magic faded, but Seth did what he needed. He looked over to see Azazel watching closely. They agreed to this plan, and yet, Azazel had his concerns. Azazel knew that meddling with such power could prove their downfall. However, Seth’s plan could guarantee the dominance of the Hellfire Club and remake the entire Earth in their image.

Azazel crossed his arms. “Are you sure that you can control this power? Better demons than you have tried and failed.”

“I am also different than any other demon that’s come before me.” Seth grabbed a towel to wipe the blood from his face. “I am the Twice-Blessed Child! If anyone could wield this power, then it is me.” He tossed the towel at the woman’s corpse. His boots clicked across the tiled floor while he went to Azazel. “Now, Azazel, is this concern or doubt that I’m hearing? 

“We are so close to victory,” said Azazel. “The Charmed Ones are distracted. Wyatt is heartbroken from the passing of the mother of his child.”

Seth frowned. “Yes. Poor Veronica. However, it is quite serendipitous that she died after Kushiel failed to kill Chris and Joey. Not even I could’ve planned such a great turn of events.”

“You had nothing to do with her death, but it is something you’re happy to use to our advantage.”

“Of course!” Seth laughed. “Now, are the others in position? We do not have much time before my cousins heal their mental wounds. If we are to change the Grand Design, then we must act today.”

Azazel nodded. “We are ready. Let us destroy the happiest place on Earth.”

Seth licked his lips as he could not wait. 

*~*

Joey’s car pulled into the garage. Joey did a grocery run for Piper while also picking up Chris to help babysit. Joey hesitated as he searched for the brownie he bought earlier.

Chris started grabbing some of the bags when he noticed the cannabis label on Joey’s brownie. “Seriously, Joey! You’re going to get high with a baby in the house?”

“If you want to deal with depressed Wyatt completely sober, then that’s you on you, bro.” Joey started to unwrap the brownie. “I will not. So it’s either edibles or alcohol.”

“Give me half.”

Joey split the brownie. He found himself grateful that Chris wanted some of the brownie since he went to a different baker and didn’t know how he’d react to their ratios. They finished everything and hid the evidence before going inside. 

They put everything away before going into the sunroom, where they found Piper and Leo playing with Selena on the floor. 

Leo waved an elephant at Selena’s face when he noticed Chris and Joey. “Hey, boys. How’s living in sin, Chris?”

Chris giggled a little harder than he would’ve if it weren’t for the brownie. “Says the ex-Elder that fell from grace. You shouldn’t judge me for my sinful ways.”

“Yeah!” Joey wiggled his fingers in Selena’s face, causing her to laugh. “And who knows. Maybe they won’t live in sin much longer. Tell them the good news, Chrissy!” Piper and Leo found themselves curious as to what Joey meant.

Chris rolled his eyes. He dove to the floor to embrace this beautiful family moment. “So, Bianca’s been talking about the future more lately. Even before I moved in, I think she’s trying to drop hints that she wants me to propose.”

“Oh.” Piper’s eyes lit up. She glanced at Leo since they thought of Future Chris and Future Bianca’s engagement that ended in death. “Do you want to get married, Chris? You’re still pretty young. There isn’t any need for you to rush.”

“Unless it’s something you really want to do,” said Leo. “If so, we support it.” Piper nodded. 

Chris shrugged. “I don’t know. I love Bianca, and I love the idea of spending my life with her, but I don’t know if I’m ready.”

A knock at the front door caused Joey to jump at his feet. “Then get ready or break up with her!” Joey started to run for the door. “Bianca is too fine and a master assassin. She has no reason to wait forever for you! And I’ll encourage her to be a strong independent woman!”

“You’re a horrible brother, Joey!”

“Love you too, Chris!” Joey opened the front door. Whatever high the pot brownie gave him vanished as he saw Alessandro and Cristina. Since Veronica’s funeral, an uneasy tension lingered in the air that left everyone unsure how Alessandro and Cristina would act without Veronica to mediate things. “Hi! Come on inside. Selena’s up from her nap.”

“Wonderful,” Cristina said softly.

Alessandro nodded. “Um...is Wyatt here? We need to talk.”

Joey could sense Wyatt in the house. However, he also felt some strange magic in the air. “Yeah, I think he’s taking a nap. I’ll go get him.” He ran upstairs, wondering what trouble Wyatt caused now.

*~*

Before Joey and Chris came home, Wyatt gathered the strength to do something. He cleaned himself up to make himself somewhat presentable as he felt more determined now than ever before then to try. He went to the attic, where he assembled five lit candles in a circle. 

Wyatt had his hands on the Book of Shadows. He had a jar filled with water and sand on the ground, while on a couch, he left Excalibur. He left the Book on the page that contained the “To Summon the Dead” spell, but he also had another page earmarked if this spell failed. 

“ _Hear these words. Hear my cry,_ ” said Wyatt. “ _Spirit from the other side. Come to me. I summon thee. Cross now the great divide._ ” Wyatt watched. The candles flickered, but he saw no swirls of light to signal the crossing of the dead. He recited the spell once more, hoping with all his heart that it would work this time. “Please, Veronica. Please. I need you.”

The candles continued to flicker, but Veronica’s spirit did not cross. Wyatt knew that not even with all his power could he summon her spirit. The rules regarding the recently departed proved too strict. Even he needed to move on with his life before he could convince Veronica’s spirit to cross.

Wyatt slammed his hands on the Book. “Time for Plan B.” He flipped the Book to the earmarked page. This page contained the “To Summon the Angel of Death” spell that Prue created decades ago. He grabbed the jar of sand and water, placing it at the center of the circle.

As he returned to the Book, Wyatt grabbed Excalibur from the couch. He took a deep breath. “ _Spirits of Air, Sand, and Sea. Converge to set the Angel free._ ” Wyatt stared at the circle. The contents of the jar began to swirl while the candles’ flames grew taller. He flicked his wrist to open the attic window. “ _In the Wind, I send this rhyme. Bring Death before me before my time._ ”

Wyatt stepped from the Book. He watched as the flames vanished from the candles as a bone-chilling gust of wind crept into the attic. He tightened his grip on Excalibur, preparing to strike when his body suddenly went numb from invisible restraints.

“Wyatt Matthew Halliwell. Do you think it wise to strike Death Incarnate?” 

Tears trickled down Wyatt’s face. He tried to resist the force that kept his body restrained. “I don’t care,” he hissed. “Bring Veronica back! Or I will vanquish you!”

The Angel of Death walked from behind Wyatt so that they could properly face each other. Death shook his head. He poked at Wyatt’s wrist, forcing Wyatt to drop Excalibur. “Not even at your strongest could you hope to defeat me. I am beyond your feeble power.” Death folded his arms over his chest. “I serve the Angels of Destiny, but my power is far greater than theirs. I was there when the first souls appeared in this universe. And I will remain until the last souls perish. Then, I will lock the doors on this universe behind me as it, too, dies.”

Wyatt glared at Death. “You’re badly quoting Neil Geiman.”

Death huffed. “Or he misquoted me.” Death flicked his wrist. He broke Wyatt free from the invisible restraints so that Wyatt could move freely. “Now, why did you really summon me, Wyatt? You know that you cannot bring Veronica to life. And you know that you do not possess the power to harm me. So...why waste our time with such pointless efforts?”

“All I want is Veronica back,” repeated Wyatt. “Please! Selena needs her mother.”

Death tilted his head. He looked at Wyatt carefully. “Are you sure? Does your daughter even know what she’s lost?” Death stepped closer to Wyatt, prompting Wyatt to back away as he didn’t know Death’s intentions. “Or is this about you?" Death stared at Wyatt closely. "Now, Wyatt, you never had to confront being powerless, not truly. You’ve lost your magic before, but that was for violating your brotherhood and the manipulations of the Jenkins sisters from the past. You could accept that; you could reclaim your power. But this is the first time you’ve had power but are powerless. So why now summon me? Threaten me?”

Wyatt bumped into the Book of Shadows, knocking the Book from its pedestal. Luckily, the Book landed on the cover, so it didn’t get damaged. “I want Veronica back.”

“No. That’s not it.” Death grabbed Wyatt’s shoulder. “I have shown mercy to your family before. Your family’s sacrifice to the Grand Design is why I took pity on you. Surely you know that. You understand that. Why would you summon me? You are the Twice-Blessed Child. You wield the power of Projection. If you truly desired to rescue Veronica, then you would’ve warped reality to save her life instead of using it to grant yourself the power to stop time. So why not use it to save her? Why summon me, Wyatt!”

“Because I’m afraid and need your help!” Wyatt wept again. He pressed his head against Death’s chest. “I have power. But I can’t use it how I want. Warping reality...it’s too dangerous. I’m not a kid anymore. Magic will bite back if I misuse it like it did when we lost the Power of Three.” Wyatt pulled his face away from Death’s chest, brushing the tears from his face. “I can’t raise Selena alone. I need Veronica’s help. I’m not smart enough. I'm not caring enough. Or strong enough to do this alone.”

Death grinned. The chill that’s lingered in the attic since Death’s arrival vanished. He placed a gentle hand on Wyatt’s shoulder. “You are not alone, Wyatt. You have more help, then you know, and you are strong enough.” Death brushed a tear from Wyatt’s face as footsteps echoed outside the door. Joey entered the attic, startled to see Wyatt with Death. “Be wise, Wyatt, to know how to use your power, but also how to be the father and mother that your child needs.”

Before departing, Death offered a parting glance. “Veronica is at peace. And she has faith in you.” Death vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Wyatt with those last words.

Joey had an uneasy smile as he approached Wyatt. “Um...why was the Angel of Death here? He’s not looking to reap one of us. Is he?”

Wyatt shook his head. “I was going to vanquish him, but we talked instead.”

“Oh. Nice.” Joey jumped back. “Wait! What! You tried to vanquish Death? Are you a fucking idiot!” Joey groaned. He didn’t really want an answer to that since he already knew the answer. “One crisis at a time. Wyatt, your not in-laws are downstairs. They want to talk.”

Wyatt nodded. He grabbed the Book and placed it back on the pedestal. He glanced at the candles then shook his head as he thought how foolish he behaved. 

*~*

The trip to Disneyland started like any other day. However, the beautiful day at the “Happiest Place on Earth” would end in disaster. 

A little girl giggled while her family approached Sleeping Beauty’s castle. She focused so much on the castle that she hadn’t noticed her family stopped walking until her mother jerked her hand back. She looked forward and saw the last of the flames arise from the ground.

Seth knelt appeared before the family. He smiled at the girl before tossing a fireball, striking her father. The man’s screams echoed with the family, and everyone else watching horrified as a man died before them. 

“Daddy!” screamed the girl.

“Kill them all!” Seth summoned another fireball. He flung it at a worker dressed in a Mickey Mouse costume.

Chaos descended the park. 

The Hellfire Club soon appeared with Nomed leading two dozen demons. More people soon died as the demons attacked everyone they could.

Abigor found a man dressed as Prince Phillip. Abigor slashed the foam sword with Soulbane before stabbing the man in the chest. Lamia brushed her fingers against the amulet that Zurie found that shielded her from sunlight. She moved freely and rapidly across the crowd before sinking her fangs into a teenage girl’s neck. Zagon unchained his whip and cracked it with a thunderous boom. It startled everyone around him as they attempted to flee, but he cracked the whip against an older man’s head. Zurie flicked her wrist to conjure an energy ball. She didn’t think twice as she flung it at a woman who carried her son in her arms, the energy ball burning them alive. Azazel stared at a parade float as the staff tried to flee; he would laugh. He flicked his fingers, firing a blast of black lightning that set the float on fire and burned most of them.

Meanwhile, Nomed and the other demons unleashed similar horrors upon the visitors and staff. Nomed flung an energy ball at a man, while a green-skinned demon spewed acid at a child’s face. A pink-skinned demon slashed a woman’s throat. Then, another demon opened his trenchcoat to unleash a swarm of demonic bugs that devoured several people.

The carnage continued with no signs of slowing down. People panicked as they tried to evacuate the park, shoving anyone who got in their way, while others were forced to barricade themselves into buildings. However, they weren’t safe there. Seth noticed many fleeing into a gift shop, so he set it on fire and used his magic to trap them inside.

Within minutes, Disneyland turned into a warzone as the Hellfire Club declared their first victory.

Seth walked over bodies to reunite with his associates. He smiled at them, especially when he noticed how much blood covered Lamia’s face. “It shouldn’t take much longer now. Only a fool would let this continue.”

Azazel nodded. “It was foolish even to begin this charade. But now, we can set the world right.”

Zurie glanced over her shoulder. “Here, they come.”

Time stopped at the park: the panicked screams, the fleeing people, and even the rampage of the demons. Everything remained still except for the Hellfire Club, who got the attention that they desperately sought.

“Foolish demons!” A pair of pale-faced men in crisp white suits emerged from nowhere. The bulkier one bore a sharp scowl as he glared at them. “What have you done? Do you not understand the exposure that you’ve caused? You would threaten the balance for what?”

Seth bowed, attempting decorum despite them causing the exposure of magic. “Humble, Cleaners. All we ask is an audience with the Tribunal. We wish to change the rules of magic so that we no longer have to keep magic hidden.”

“An audience with Tribunal!” shouted the bulkier Cleaner. “You stupid warlock!”

The lankier Cleaner raised his hand. “You could’ve simply come to the Neutral Plane. You didn’t have to cause such chaos.”

Lamia smiled. The blood that caked her face drying onto her skin. “We’re demons. Chaos is our thing.”

The Cleaners glanced at each other before nodding. They waved their hands, waves of white light manifesting from their bodies. Nomed and the other demons vanished as the destruction and death at the park got undone. The Cleaners possessed the authority and the power to warp reality if needed to protect magic, and given the Hellfire Club’s actions, the Cleaners needed to act.

The Cleaners extended their hands. The Hellfire Club accepted the gesture as they vanished together in sparkling lights, leaving the amusement park behind. And once they vanished, time resumed its natural flow.  
  
The little girl resumed skipping to Sleeping Beauty’s castle with her family. She turned her head to smile at her father. “Can I get a princess dress?”

Her father nodded. “Sure, princess.”

*~*

Joining Alessandro and Cristina in the living room, Wyatt didn’t know what to make of their visit. He kept it together as the conversation with Death still echoed in his head. He focused on being present for Selena.

Wyatt sat across from Alessandro and Cristina. “How are you coping? I imagine it’s not easy staying at our place.”

“It’s not,” whispered Cristina, “but...at least I feel like Vero is still with us.” 

Alessandro nodded. “What about you, Wyatt? Are you well?”

“As can be expected.” Wyatt glanced over his shoulder as he listened to Selena’s joyful cry as Leo played with her. “Since you’re not in there, I take it this isn’t a social visit. What’s wrong?”

The atmosphere shifted almost immediately. Wyatt knew to always expect an ulterior motive with Alessandro and Cristina, but he dreaded what might come out their mouths.

Alessandro licked his lips. “We. Cristina and I agreed that maybe it is for Selena’s benefit if we raise her. Away from magic.”

Wyatt glared. “Excuse me?”

Cristina patted Alessandro’s hand. She projected a softness even though Wyatt knew that she only had venom. “Given that you’re a Charmed One and the dangers you face, we don’t think Selena should be raised in such an environment. Even with your parents helping, we fear that she might end up in greater danger if she stays here. We don’t want to risk anything happening to her like it did with Vero.”

Wyatt should’ve foreseen something like this coming. Since Veronica’s funeral, he could tell that something was off about them. Now, he knew the truth. All he could think of was Death’s parting words and the advice Victor gave him about standing up as a father.

Wyatt jumped from the chair. He pointed at the door. “Get the fuck out of my house, you fucking monsters!” His voice boomed louder than usual. The ground itself quaked as Wyatt used his Projection power to amplify his voice. It startled everyone as even his family panicked over what happened. 

Cristina stood up. “You can’t talk to us like that!”

“Like hell, I can’t!” Wyatt walked to the front door with Alessandro and Cristina following. They tried to argue, but Wyatt wouldn’t have any of it. He stomped his foot on the ground. “Veronica died from natural causes. And the fact that you would use her death to take our daughter away is despicable. Not that you have any legal right to do so because she is my child, and we made our will before she was even born.”

Alessandro shook his head. “We’ll take you to court. You forget that you were a pornstar!” His screeching got everyone’s attention. Piper, Chris, Joey, and Leo stepped out into the hallway while Leo held Selena.

Wyatt turned to Selena before glaring at Alessandro and Cristina. “I’d like to see you try. California is pretty liberal, and I did my sex work before Selena was even conceived.” Wyatt flicked his wrist. The front door swung open as Wyatt pointed at it, while Bianca came up the steps to see the scene unfold. “Now, get the fuck out of my house, and don’t you dare ever come back here. And I swear to every god from above and below that if you come after my child that I will kill you without hesitation!”

Alessandro and Cristina didn’t hesitate storming out of the manor, while Bianca quickly crept inside. Wyatt flicked the door close, slamming it so that Alessandro and Cristina knew never to return.

Bianca nodded as she didn’t know what to say. “Hi, Wyatt.” 

“Hey, Bianca.” Wyatt tried to speak gently, but his voice sounded far harsher than he intended. He went down the hall and took Selena from Leo’s arms as he needed to hold her close. “I will never leave you or let anything bad happen to you, baby girl. I will always be there for you.” Wyatt kissed Selena’s forehead as he sat in the sunroom, holding Selena. 

Joey whistled as he looked at everyone before turning to Wyatt. “You, big brother, are a totally badass witch! About time someone told them off!”

Piper and Leo shook their heads as they went into the sunroom, dreading the consequences of Wyatt’s threats. 

Meanwhile, Chris went over to Bianca since everyone else focused on the latest Wyatt drama. 

Chris kissed Bianca. “What are you doing here, babe? You can’t be missing me already. I’ve only been gone for like two hours.”

“No, it’s not that.” Bianca chuckled. She reached for Chris’s hands, holding onto them gently. “It has to do with what we’ve been talking about these last couple of days. Of a future.” She shook her head. The plan didn’t turn out how she expected since she walked in on Wyatt starting a family feud. The air felt too tainted that she would only jinx the proposal. “Our future. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.”

“Yeah?” asked Chris. “That’s why we moved in together. To start that future.”

“But there’s something else.” Bianca went to her pocket. Her fingers grazed against the ring.

However, before Bianca could pop the question, light-blue orbs gathered.

Brody appeared in the hallway, wide-eyed and jittery. “Good! You’re all here!” Brody grabbed Chris’s arm and dragged him into the sunroom. Bianca wanted to yell at Brody but fell silent as something clearly bothered him. 

“Let me go, Brody!” Chris pulled his arm free. “What the hell is the matter with you?”

“Hell! The Hellfire Club exposed magic to meet the Tribunal, but the Cleaners undid the damage. However, the Club is meeting the Tribunal right now to change the rules of magic.”

Leo squinted his eyes. “The Club exposed magic to meet Tribunal?”

“What rules do they want to change?” asked Piper.

“They want everyone to know of magic.”  
  
Silence spread across the manor as they feared what might happen if the Hellfire Club succeeded in making the Tribunal agree to the request.

*~*

The Cleaners brought the Hellfire Club to a dark void. They walked upon nothingness before a glass tiled floor manifested as a brightly lit circle. Seth folded his arms behind his back as he waited. Four floating heads manifested from the void with the Cleaners bowing before the Tribunal, a collective of Elders and elder demons, that monitored magic exposure.

A black-skinned, clean-shaven man floated before the others. “You would expose magic to demand an audience with us. Do you have any comprehension of how wreckless you behaved?”

Seth grinned. “No. But do tell.”

An older, pale-skinned man huffed upon hearing Seth’s disregard for decorum. “Careful, young demon. My associates and I have all the authority to see you erased.”

“But you haven’t already.” Seth stared at the Tribunal and the Cleaners wide-eyed. “Surely the Angels of Destiny warned you of me. The problems that I bring to the Grand Design.”

“You are for the Charmed Ones to defeat,” said another pale-skinned man. “We are only concerned with exposure.”

Azazel glanced at the others. They began to step around the circle since the neutral space had little restrictions. “That is why we must speak.” Azazel focused on maintaining Seth’s plane. As a fallen Elder, he knew enough about how to speak the Tribunal’s language. “The old rules of magical exposure are a mistake. Those with magic are superior to the mortals that roam this world, so why must we cower before them? Even if we cannot wontlessly kill or enslave mortals, we shouldn’t bow to them.”

The other dark-skinned man shook his head. “What would you hope to gain by exposing magic, Azazel? How do you propose not to bring untold chaos and destroy balance? The reason this world continues to spin is through the relative balance between good and evil. Order and chaos.”

Azazel and Seth exchanged glances. They had everyone in position now, and the Tribunal was too distracted from their rules to notice the impending betrayal. Azazel smiled at the Elders that sat on the Tribunal. “Frankly my friends, I do not give a damn about preserving balance.” Electricity ignited across Azazel’s arms. “In fact, I believe it is time that we embrace the chaos!” Azazel unleashed the electricity to vanquish the Tribunal’s Elders.

“Stop him!” shouted a Tribunal elder demon. 

However, Seth wouldn’t allow it to get that far. He flicked his wrists to conjure metal rings engulfed in fire. He tossed the fireballs at the Tribunal elder demons, vanquishing them. 

Zurie, Abigor, Lamia, and Zagon extended their hands out. They began to absorb the powers of the Tribunal into them slowly.

The bulkier Cleaner attempted to stop the Hellfire Club. Azazel appeared behind the Cleaner then consumed his fist with black orbs before stabbing the Cleaner through the chest. Seth targeted the lankier Cleaner. Seth stabbed the Cleaner’s heart with an athame. Sparkling lights flickered from the Cleaners’ body, entering Seth and Azazel as they absorbed the Cleaners’ powers.

The Tribunal fell to ash, and the Cleaners’ corpses littered the ground.

Seth licked his lips. “They weren’t so indestructible after all.” 

“They’re not here.” Azazel turned to Seth. “This plane stripped them of their immortality. And now, we claimed the ultimate prize.” Sparks glistened from Azazel’s hand. He flicked his wrist to erase the Cleaners’ bodies from the floor. “We have the Tribunal and Cleaners’ reality-warping powers. And unlike them, we have no problem using their powers to their full potential. Isn’t that right?”

Everyone nodded.

Seth stared at his hand. The reality-warping abilities coursing throughout his being. He held power within him that would almost allow him to rival the Power of Three. He only needed a little more power to make him unvanquishable. 

“Let’s test these powers out.” Seth looked over his shoulder. “Shall we have a repeat of our little massacre?”

*~*

Henrick rushed down the halls of the Agency’s San Francisco office. The alarms continued to blare as every agent appeared on edge from a startling change. Henrick entered the boardroom, where every senior agent gathered. They stared at a pair of monitors as they got live footage from a drone while national news broadcasted the scene.

Henrick ignored the blaring alarms to focus on the images coming back. He could see Disneyland in smoke with the drone footage providing close-ups of countless bodies and several demons roaming free. “What the hell is this?”

“A massacre,” whispered an agent. 

Another agent performed the sign of the cross. “Merciful Lord. This is the apocalypse. It’s finally happening.”

“What do we do, commander?” asked another agent.

Henrick continued staring at the monitor. His jaw dropped. The carnage worsened as more demons attacked people and burned the amusement park to nothing. He stuttered and shook his head. “I...I don’t know what we can do. We’re not equipped to stop something of this scale.”

*~*

The broadcast didn’t get any better, nor did social media. The media reported on the Disneyland attack, while social media showed terrified footage from survivors and people still trapped at the park. Screams echoed across the footage as more people faced certain death. 

The entire family gathered at the manor since they saw the broadcast and knew that they’d have to mobilize against the demons. 

Joey crossed his arms. His eyes glazed over from attempting to foresee anything that might help them in the coming fight. “Nothing! It’s like the Angels of Destiny don’t want to help us! What good are they? Even the Elders are trying something, and they’re normally useless.” He glanced at Leo while Carver came over to massage his shoulders. “No offense, dad, to your old job.”

“None taken.” Leo rocked Selena in his arms. 

Phoebe shook her head as she rubbed her temples. “Seth orchestrated this attack. What the hell is wrong with him?” She closed her eyes. “Not even Cole was this insane.”

Paige shrugged. “I don’t know. You didn’t have to see the twisted future that he created when he became an Avatar.”

Chris stared at the TV. “Fuck! What can we do?”

“Fight?” Paulina turned to Brody. She got up from the couch, leaving PJ and Hank behind. “Brody. Is that what the Elders are expecting from us? Those people are in danger. We need to get a rescue mission going.”

Brody nodded. He stared at the ceiling while listening to a jingling noise. “The Elders came to the same conclusion.” He stopped as the jingling got louder. The news made his eyes widened. “Gods! They did it.”

Henry squinted his eyes. “Did what?”

“The Hellfire Club vanquished the Tribunal and the Cleaners.”

“Fuck!” said PJ.

Carver glanced around the room. Aside from the Hellfire Club, he heard of none of those people, so he didn’t know how that applied to their situation. “What does that mean for us?”

“That the Hellfire Club can do whatever they want,” said Bianca. “The Tribunal dictated magical exposure, while the Cleaners undid the damage. With them gone, nothing is stopping the club or the demons from doing whatever they want.”

Tamora nodded. “So we get ready for war! Right?”

Brody listened to the jingle as he received orders. “There isn’t a point in worrying over exposure. The Elders want you to fight the demons and the Hellfire Club. Meanwhile, the Elders are recruiting Whitelighters to evacuate everyone from the park.”

Piper’s face lit up. “The Elders are actually intervening directly. That’s a first...and terrifying.”

Coop nodded. “I’ll go to Cupid’s Temple to see if I can get the other Cupids to help with the evacuations. There are too many people to risk only Whitelighters.” He kissed Phoebe’s forehead before hugging PJ and Paulina. “If I can convince them, then we’ll meet you at the park after the fighting starts.” Coop vanished in a flash of pink light.

“Good plan.” Brody turned to Wyatt. “Do you think you’re ready for a fight like this one? We need the Charmed Ones more than ever before.” Wyatt fell silent, while even Chris and Joey stared at him. They hadn’t fought any demons since Veronica’s death, so the possibility that their Power of Three might not work loomed in the air.

However, Wyatt wouldn’t accept that happening. He went to Leo, taking Selena from his arms to kiss her forehead. “Daddy will be home soon, baby girl. I have to go save the world.” Wyatt hugged Selena before passing her back to Leo. “Can I trust Grandpa Leo and Uncle Henry to keep her safe?”

Leo and Henry laughed, promising that they could care for Selena.

Wyatt raised his hand. Excalibur appeared to his hand, glistening against the lights. “Then, let’s go save the House of Mouse!”

*~*

Disneyland devolved into a warzone. Countless bodies littered the ground if the demons’ attacks didn’t burn the people to ash. Many tried to barricade themselves inside of buildings, but the demons toyed with their victims. The people’s screams echoed across the park. Fires roared as the demons unleashed their assault.

Seth sat on the edge of the central fountain. His body continued to glisten while he adjusted to the reality-warping abilities of the Cleaners. His associates remained nearby, also beaming from the powers that they absorbed.

Seth licked his lips. “Now is our time, friends. We’ve done it. We’ve brought this world nearly to its knees.”

More demons began to appear across the park while Nomed barked orders. Since returning from the Neutral Plane, they started the work of undoing the Cleaners’ actions. The club restarted the attack, while Seth and Azazel restored Nomed and the other demons to life to begin the attack. Then, they summoned more demons to turn this massacre into a real party.

Zurie’s eyes flashed from the power she absorbed but also from her gift of vision. Her ruby lips spread into a Cheshire smile while she drew an athame from her leather coat. “Incoming, friends. We’re in for another family reunion.”

Down the blood-covered street, light-blue orbs and flashes of pink light appeared. The Halliwells arrived at Disneyworld, bringing Bianca and Carver too to the fight. Carver already shifted into his werewolf form so as not to waste a precious second. Chris and Joey came armed with their weapons, while everyone else relied on their magic or vanquishing potions.

Wyatt glared once he found Seth at the fountain. “You really are the Anti-Christ. I can’t believe you’re part of our family.”

Seth pouted while springing off the fountain. “Oh, cousin! That’s so mean!” He flicked his wrist, making sparkling lights appear. The lights twinkled until a sword that rivaled Excalibur in shine appeared. The sword bore a similar steel blade but had dragons’ faces on the hilt and rubies attached to the handle. “If I weren’t so evil, then I’d feel offended.”

Phoebe stepped around Wyatt. Her empathic abilities allowed her to sense the hostility but also the emptiness that radiated from Seth. “Come now, Seth. It’s not too late for you for us.” She didn’t dare take another step forward. If Seth still bore the evil she felt while briefly pregnant with him, then she knew her efforts were pointless, but she still felt compelled to try. “You have the power now. You can undo all of this, and we can have a second chance.”

“A second chance?” Seth lowered his sword. “To be a real family? Truly?” Seth cackled. He tossed his head back while the screams of the doomed echoed across the park. “Mother. Dear stupid mother! You think I care anymore? That there remains a shred of goodness in me? Me! The boy that killed his birth parents not because they were horrible to him. In fact, they were so kind and loving. I killed them because they bore me.”

Seth raised his sword. “As far as I’m concerned, my family died when you vanquished my father and returned to being a good little witch! Now, I’m going to let this world burn!” Seth levitated. The clouds gathered across the sky departed from Seth exerting his will. He floated towards Sleeping Beauty’s Castle while the stars twinkled across the sky to illuminate the ruined park. “I will burn it down, starting here!”

Wyatt tugged on Phoebe’s arm. “I think we got our answer that he’s a lost cause.”

“Yeah.” Phoebe turned to Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. She didn’t bother wasting a tear on Seth as she cried over him years ago. She had nothing to prove trying to save him now. “Send his ass to the Wasteland! We’ll handle the other demons.”

Wyatt, Chris, and Joey nodded. They ran for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, while everyone else spread out to fight the demons. 

Azazel snapped his fingers. The others ran interference to obstruct the Halliwells from rescuing anyone. 

*~*

Chaos spread across the park as the Halliwells entered a battle almost as epic as their Battle at the Nexus of the All.

Hank and Tamora ran towards Tomorrow Land to help everyone trapped there. Hank blasted an icy road that allowed them to avoid the demons’ attacks, while Tamora remote orbed their attacks back at them. Several demons exploded as their fireballs and energy balls got thrown at their faces. 

Hank made sure that they landed safely as they had the demons undivided attention. Hank took the frozen road and caused countless ice spears to rise, stabbing some of the demons and blocking others’ paths. Tamora flicked her wrists, blasting Hank’s ice to bombard the remaining demons.

Tamora looked around to see more demons coming from the northern and southern roads, but they managed to clear this area. “Whitelighters! Cupids! Get over here!”

Dozens of light-blue orbs and pink hearts appeared. The Whitelighters and Cupids arrived as promised who went into the buildings, beginning the evacuation process.

Hank blew cold air to construct a frozen pole. “I go north. You go south?”

Tamora nodded. “Get it done, Elsa!”

Meanwhile, PJ and Paulina went way ahead to New Orleans Square. The New Orleans flair that the park went for turned into New Orleans after a hurricane. Several buildings had burned to nothing, and the demons dragged any survivors to the artificial river to kill them.

PJ and Paulina beamed across the park to protect the survivors. Their presence startled the demons, but not for long.

The demons charged after PJ and Paulina.

PJ glanced at a nearby burned building. She swung her arm to bash the incoming demons with the building’s charred remains. Wood, metal, and broken glass bombarded the demons. It left some stunned and others injured as the rubble pierced their flesh.

Paulina flicked her wrists. She blasted some of the demons, reducing their numbers slightly. “Start getting people out of here! We’ll keep them busy.” She blasted another demon in the face while PJ continued to rain rubble on the demons. 

More Whitelighters and Cupids appeared to begin escorting the panicked people.

Coop gently took a little boy into his arms while helping his sister to her feet. He looked over his shoulder. “Girls! Are you sure you can handle this?”

A massive chunk of glass slit a demon’s throat. PJ swung her arm to push a demon into a nearby beam. “We got this, dad! Don’t worry over us!” She pushed another demon into a burning churro cart, setting that demon on fire too.

On the northern end of the park at Mickey’s Toontown, Bianca brought Werewolf-Carver to help everyone there. As the most remote part of the park, it suffered the highest casualties as it took Bianca and Werewolf-Carver a bit to get there. The carnage appeared as brutal as it did anywhere else but looked more horrific, given the cartoonish designs of this section of the park.

Bianca spotted demons preparing to burn one of the buildings while frightened people watched from the window. She patted Werewolf-Carver’s massive back. “Alright, Wolfy. Show these demons no mercy. Can you handle that?”

Werewolf-Carver nodded and growled. “Bianca. Can. Trust. Me.” 

Bianca smiled. “I knew I could count on you, Wolfy. Have fun!”

Werewolf-Carver charged after the demons near the building and howled as he approached. The demons first thought he came to help them, but they soon learned the truth. In a split second, Werewolf-Carver sank his fangs into the neck of a demon. The demons abandoned their efforts to burn the building to fight him, which gave Bianca her chance.

She hurried to the building to secure it from other demons. A green-skinned demon did spot her, but she flung an athame at its forehead. She pressed her hand against the window to see the people inside. “I’m getting you help. They’re going to teleport inside, so don’t get scared.” She snapped her fingers. “Whitelighters! Cupids! They’re all yours!”

Inside the building, the Whitelighters and Cupids appeared to aid the frightened people. 

With the evacuation beginning, Bianca could help Werewolf-Carver. She turned to spot Nomed and a pair of demons.

Bianca cracked her knuckles. “Hi, Nomed. A pleasure to meet you again.”

Nomed smirked. “Bianca. The newest leader of the Phoenix Coven. You couldn’t escape your mother, so you vanquished her. And now you turn your assassins into bodyguards? How unimaginative when you could make so much profit with the Hellfire Club.”

“Fuck off.” Bianca threw an energy ball.

Nomed shimmered away with his momentum pushing the other two demons to take the blast for him. The energy ball blasted them, leaving them as ash. Bianca rolled her eyes since she should’ve expected Nomed to act like such a coward. Since Nomed retreated, she ran to Werewolf-Carver, who slashed the throat of another demon.

As much of the park got secured, that left Piper, Phoebe, and Paige to defend Frontierland. However, they weren’t alone. Zurie, Zagon, and Lamia replaced the other demons to ensure that no one would escape alive.

Zurie waved her dagger. “The old Charmed Ones. I must say that it is a pleasure to kill you finally.”

Piper glared. “Not like you’d get the chance, bitch.”

Lamia chuckled. “Oh, she’s a mouthy one.” Lamia’s fangs grew, and she licked them. “I bet your blood tastes delicious.”

“You’ll never get a taste,” said Paige.

“Why eat these witches.” Zagon undid his metal chain. He converted it into a metal staff. “We’ll do the demon world a great favor in finally killing these witches.”

Phoebe smirked. “Tougher demons than you have tried, bub.”

Zurie flung her dagger at Phoebe, but Phoebe levitated to dodge it. Paige orbed the dagger towards Zagon when he swatted it away with his staff. Lamia grabbed the dagger and tossed it at Piper, only for Piper to freeze the dagger. 

Piper knocked the dagger to the ground. “Enough with the party tricks. I haven’t kicked a demon’s ass in ages, and I got the itch!” She flicked her fingers, blasting Zagon in the chest. The combustive blast didn’t kill Zagon, but it knocked him into a nearby building.

Lamia raced across the road and attempted to slash Paige’s throat with her nails. However, Paige dealt with enough vampires to know how to fight one, even a Vampire Queen. Paige reacted fast to orb a pretzel cart over so that Lamia crashed into it.

Zurie retrieved her dagger and went after Phoebe. They traded several blows, but even with Zurie’s added power, Phoebe had enough combat experience to know what to expect. Phoebe took advantage of an opening and levitated to kick the dagger from Zurie’s hand.

Meanwhile, no one needed to call the Whitelighters and Cupids. The Elders watched enough of the fighting from the Heavens to send reinforcements to evacuate the people. Dozens more Whitelighters and Cupids covered the area as the sisters distracted the Hellfire Club. 

*~*

Back on the main street, the brothers went after Seth at Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. However, they didn’t get too far when Azazel and Abigor appeared to block the path. Wyatt raised Excalibur. He almost lunged after them when Chris and Joey stopped him.

Wyatt squinted his eyes. “What?”

Chris drew Starbreaker from his coat pocket. “Leave these bozos to us. You go ahead and kick Seth’s ass.”

“You serious?” asked Wyatt. “You want me to ditch you?”

Joey rolled his eyes while he unstrapped Apollo’s bow from his shoulder. “Don’t worry. We divide and conquer, for now, then we use the Power of Three to kick Seth’s ass. Good deal?”

Wyatt wanted to disagree, but they didn’t have the time to argue. He agreed for now and levitated over to the castle to face Seth while Chris and Joey dealt with Azazel and Abigor.

Black lightning coursed across Azazel’s arm. He prepared to shoot Wyatt from the sky when Chris cracked the whip. The whip struck Azazel’s hand, forcing him to miss his attack that gave Wyatt the time he needed to reach the castle. 

Azazel covered his injured hand. “You’ll regret that, witch!”

“I don’t think so.” Chris cracked the whip again. 

Abigor drew Soulbane from its sheath. “Foolish witches. If you seek death, then you shall have it!”

Joey charged after Abigor, swinging Apollo’s bow like he would a staff. “Quit with the dramatics, bitch! And fight us!” The silver of the bow glistened. The bow nearly struck Abigor’s chest when he raised Soulbane to block the attack.

Meanwhile, Azazel fired black lightning towards Chris, only for Chris to block it by cracking his whip. Chris swung his whip, allowing it to dance circles around him before launching it like a torpedo. Azazel grabbed the whip and tugged on it to bring Chris closer.

Soulbane and Apollo’s bow created sparks from their impact. Abigor showed no strains on his part even as he had to focus as Joey moved like a wildman to throw Abigor off his grove. Their weapons clashed once more as Abigor attempted to use his body weight to overpower Joey.

Abigor growled. “You die here, boy.” 

Despite the strain, Joey smiled. “Not today, Satan!” Joey tugged on the bowstring to create a miniature arrow. Joey released it before Abigor got the upper hand, prompting Abigor to shimmer away or risk an arrow capable of killing a god to strike him.

*~*

Wyatt landed on the roof of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle where Seth watched everything unfold. Seth had his sword drawn. It took him a second to pay Wyatt any proper attention. 

“My condolences for your loss, cousin,” said Seth. “And congratulations on the baby.”

Excalibur glowed as Wyatt raised it. “If this is your way of saying that you killed Veronica.”

Seth chuckled. “I didn’t. Your baby momma died of natural causes. However, I am happy to use her death to my advantage.” His fingers sparkled once more. “Acquiring the Cleaners’ powers took a bit of work. And it’ll take me time to fully master. Their reality-warping powers are far more advanced than your projection-based ones.” He grinned. He started taking a few steps closer to Wyatt, dragging his sword against the ground. “Now, you being distracted by your heartbreak meant that I could run freely without fearing the Power of Three coming after me.”

“Big mistake on my part.” Wyatt charged after Seth. “I won’t make that mistake again!”

Seth raised his sword, blocking Excalibur from coming after his head. “Good! We can finally see which of the Twice-Blessed Children is truly worthy of the title!”

Their swords continued to cross. The cling of steel echoed across the park like thunder. Sparks sputtered out when they touched the ground. Wyatt’s heavier blows met Seth’s graceful attacks. Wyatt and Seth worked to overpower the other, but neither showed signs of relenting. 

Wyatt flicked his wrist to blast Seth. However, Seth didn’t budge in the slightest. Seth returned the favor by tossing a fireball at Wyatt. The fireball crashed against Wyatt’s force field as he could easily shield himself. 

Seth huffed as he found the force field annoying. He started to back away to the edge of the roof as he began smiling. “I think we should make this a little more fun, Wyatt.” Seth snapped his fingers. Sparkling lights danced far above them as a massive dragon appeared from nowhere. “How about we play with the dragon you created as a child? Or should I say the dragon I just created since mine is far more ferocious!” 

The dragon belched fire and would surely destroy Wyatt’s force field in a single blast.

Wyatt didn’t know if he could stop the dragon alone. He could pull it off with the Power of Three, but he needed his brothers for that to work. He did have Excalibur. And he had himself. And, like the Angel of Death said, Wyatt was strong enough and needed to be wise enough to use his power. 

Wyatt dropped the force field. He extended his hand, drawing upon his projection power. Golden light spread across his body and forced the dragon’s fire to return into the dragon’s body. Wyatt’s attack caused the dragon to explode that sent a massive shockwave that knocked Wyatt and Seth from the roof’s castle. They had no trouble orbing or flaming so that they didn’t crash on the ground.

They managed to land safely back on the main street. They raised their sword. They nearly jumped at each other again when Azazel and Abigor came crashing. 

Seth stopped as he saw Chris and Joey joining Wyatt. They looked tired and mildly injured from the fight but could still stand. Seth glanced over his shoulder to notice more shimmering as Zurie brought Lamia and Zagon as they clearly lost their fight against the sisters.

Seth laughed. His laughter echoing across the park as he couldn’t believe that things turned out even more chaotic than he expected. “I love this day! Finally, my lifetime of work is paying off!” Seth tossed the sword aside. He grabbed Azazel’s hand since Azazel carried the other Cleaner’s reality-warping powers. “Now that we’re all together. We can begin the final phase of our plan!”

Wyatt shook his head. He joined hands with Chris and Joey. “There is no final phase for you, Seth! Your madness ends here! _The Power of Three will set us free!_ ” Chris and Joey followed Wyatt in the chanting. “ _The Power of Three will set us free!_ ”

However, Seth would stop them before they could finish reciting the spell.

Sparkling lights washed over Seth and his comrades. The light turned dark purple with sparks of black lightning coursing across their bodies. A terrifyingly loud demonic howl echoed across the park as a dark smoke descended from the sky.

Seth blasted the smoke with a fireball. The attack caused the smoke to shatter into six separate clouds that would enter each of them. “ _Let the primordial essence of evil into this space!_ ”

The smoke entered the Hellfire Club’s bodies. They could cry or scream as the smoke merged into their new hosts. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey watched in confusion as they didn’t understand what Seth appeared to do. The brothers thought that Seth’s reality-warping caused him to vanquish the Hellfire Club himself; however, they felt something truly evil taking hold.

Darkness became one with them. Seth smiled while the defeated Hellfire Club began to rise once more. 

Wyatt shook his head. “What did you do?”

Seth’s eyes flashed pitch black, as did everyone else’s eyes too. They stood close together while Seth stared at his hands. “I summoned the vanquished essence of the Source of All Evil.”

“No,” whispered Joey. He thought back to the premonition that Mark gave him. How different things played out from what he foresaw. “This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen!”

“Life is funny that way,” continued Seth.

Chris shook his head. “But why? You’ll lose yourself to the Source’s essence like Cole did, and you did as a fetus.”

Seth clicked his tongue. “Not this time.” He gestured to the others. “I divided the essence of the Source amongst us. Six fragments meaning that the Source cannot control anyone.” He laughed. They each conjured the metal fireball of the Source. “We control the Source of All Evil’s power. And now, we’re unbeatable!” 

Seth snuffed out the fireballs. The others followed his example as they marveled at the new power that they acquired. “The rules are changing, cousins! Enjoy the new world order!” He snapped his fingers. Across the park, the remaining demons retreated to the Underworld to wait for future orders from the Hellfire Club. 

Flames across the Hellfire Club’s bodies as they too vanished as the new Sources of All Evil would leave the Halliwells to wallow in the misery of defeat.

Even as Disneyland no longer needed to worry over the Hellfire Club’s demonic assault, the brothers knew that something far worse waited on the horizon.

*~*

Saving the people at Disneyland didn’t leave the Halliwells feeling remotely victorious as they now had a far greater threat hanging over their heads. The dangers that the Source of All Evil provoked proved damning enough, but Seth dividing the Source’s essence to make each of them a carrier left to despair. It meant that six capable and dangerous demons now had the Source’s powers.

They returned to the manor, exhausted and covered in blood. They patched up their injuries and waited as Coop returned from mobilizing the Cupids.

Wyatt rocked a sleepy Selena. He turned to everyone. The silence lingered as none of them knew what to do next. He laid Selena into her bassinet. “We should see if the Elders have any ideas on how to stop the Hellfire Club now. I doubt the old Source vanquishing spell will work this time.”

Phoebe nodded. “I could try making a new spell. A stronger version of it. If that’s possible.”

“It has to be possible.” Joey held onto Carver’s arm. “We can’t afford to attack the Hellfire Club again with anything less than our very best. Which means we’ll need to work together.”

They agreed. The Hellfire Club evolved into a threat unlike any that they came across in the past. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige thought of all the demons that they faced, but not even Cole or the Triad compared to the Hellfire Club. If they would survive these hurdles, then they’d need to act as a unit.

Bianca reached for Chris’s hand. She whispered to him. “Can we talk?”

“Yeah.” Chris followed Bianca into the hallway while everyone else began to strategize. He didn’t care where the strategy meeting went because discussing the Hellfire Club would only give him a headache. He smiled at Bianca now that they had some privacy. “What’s up? Does this have anything to do with what you wanted to talk about earlier?”

Bianca nodded. “There’s something I want to ask before you moved in, but I didn't have the courage to ask.” She shook her head. Her hand touched her pocket, slowly taking the ring out, which Chris noticed. “Um...we discussed getting married enough times. I wanted to ask sooner, but I guess there’s no time like the start of the apocalypse.”

Chris covered Bianca’s hand and the ring. Tears trickled down his face as he leaned closer, kissing Bianca. “Yes. I’ll marry you.” He chuckled while he looked at the ring. She picked a simple silver band that matched how simple he liked to keep things. “I wish I knew you wanted to do this now. I would’ve got you a ring too.”

“Oh. Don’t worry!” She went into her other pocket. “I already got my ring covered.” She showed a rose gold ring with an emerald since she hated diamonds. She handed it to Chris so that they could exchange engagement rings. “You’re no good when it comes to picking jewelry, so I wanted to save you the trouble.” She slid his silver ring onto his left hand. 

Chris slid the rose gold ring onto Bianca’s left hand. “That’s true. But we’re going together to pick the wedding rings. I need to step up since I was too chicken to propose first.”

Bianca smiled. “Raja warned me I’d have to wait on you forever.”

“She knows us too well.” Chris kissed Bianca again. Bianca’s arms wrapping around his neck as he lifted her too.

However, they didn’t get much time to celebrate their engagement. The front door opened with a terrifying face entering the manor.

“You!” Chris’s arms crackled from electricity. The rise in magic caused everyone else to come out of the sunroom.

Hendrick huffed. He ditched the suit at the office to wear something far more casual and non-threatening. “Do you have any idea how stupid it is to leave your front door unlocked?”

Joey clenched his fists as he stood in front of Carver, not that it would do much good considering that Joey looked tiny compared to Carver. “We leave it unlocked because demons blow it up if it’s locked. So why the hell are you here?”

“For a compromise.” Hendrick crossed his arms. “We saw what you did at Disney. And we know what Seth and the demons did. But something else is off. Everything is different. My agents are acting like this is normal, but I’m the only one who is acting like this isn’t a terrifying exposure of magic.”

Paige shook her head. “Does that mean Seth didn’t just give himself and the club more power? He warped all of reality to account for the magical exposure?”

“Why?” asked Wyatt.

Light-blue orbs descended as Brody materialized. Brody’s sudden appearance startled Hendrick, but Brody didn’t care. “To erase the need to keep magic hidden.” Brody heard them as he descended from the Heavens. “The Elders and the Angels of Destiny observed the changes. Seth’s turned magic into something that is common knowledge. Nobody knows why.”

Phoebe closed her eyes. She could recall years ago when she briefly was Queen of the Underworld and listened in on Cole’s many meetings. If Seth acted anything like Cole, then he’d share a similar agenda. “When Cole was the Source, he wanted to bring magic to the modern world.” She shook her head for even considering that they might save a tiny piece of Seth. “Cole wanted to end the secret of magic so that the demons could claim this world. All to end the war between good and evil.”

“Fuck,” whispered Piper. “So the bastard is out to repeat his father’s mission of starting the apocalypse. But ten times worse.”

Wyatt nodded. Even as he dreaded what Seth might do next, Wyatt concentrated on what they could do to stop the Hellfire Club. “It doesn’t matter. So long as we’re together. We’ll stop the Hellfire Club as we’ve done to all the demons that came before.” He turned to Chris and Joey. “We’re the Charmed Ones. We have the Power of Three. So no one is tougher than us.”

“Right!” said Chris and Joey.

“In that case,” said Hendrick, “given our current situation, I’ll direct what resources the agency has to repel demonic attacks and helping you. We’ll be in touch.” Hendrick started to make his way out of the manor before pausing to glance at Chris and Bianca. “And, congratulations on the engagement.” He closed the door. 

Chris and Bianca bit their lips since that isn’t exactly how they expected to announce their engagement. Screams echoed as everyone forgot about doomsday to focus on the rings that Chris and Bianca wore.

*~*

The next day, Wyatt got a phone call from Alessandro to meet for coffee. Wyatt left Selena behind at the manor since he didn’t trust that Alessandro and Cristina might try to kidnap her, nor did he want to run the risk of vanquishing them. Not when he went through the work of getting ready for Selena’s Wiccaning tomorrow.

Wyatt arrived at the coffee shop near his apartment. People appeared a little on edge as the TVs played reports on the Disneyland attack. However, as Hendrick and Brody said, the world changed enough to treat the Disneyland attacks like a somewhat normal terrorist attack. No one freaked out over demons existing as they treated it like common knowledge.

It took some adjusting, but Wyatt learned to accept this weird change. He felt more concerned for the magical community who knew nothing of what Seth did and the odd adjustments they would now have to endure.

Wyatt ordered himself a simple coffee before going to the outdoor table that Alessandro and Cristina saved. “Morning,” he said bluntly.

“Good morning,” said Cristina. “Where’s Selena?”

“I left her with my parents.” Wyatt took a seat then sipped the steaming coffee. “Considering our last conversation, I didn’t want to take any risks. You’ll be happy to know that I left Excalibur at home, and I didn’t bring any vanquishing potions with me.”

Alessandro frowned. “We deserve that. That’s why we wanted to talk again.” Alessandro sighed and covered his face. He moved his hands, revealing the freshly forming tears. “How we’ve treated you is unforgivable. You’ve done your best to treat us kindly, and we’ve treated you like a monster. Instead of a hero.” He pointed at a nearby TV. It played a broadcast of the Disneyland attack, which had fuzzy images of Wyatt and the family battling the Hellfire Club. The Agency managed to cover the family’s identity for their protection. 

Cristina squeezed Alessandro’s hand. “We couldn’t even treat you like a decent man. Even after Veronica spoke so highly of you, we let our prejudice get the best of us. And because we’re grieving Veronica, we’re misdirecting that pain to vilify you.” She choked on her tears too. She sipped her latte in a vain attempt to distract herself from crying. “And now it’s going to cost us our granddaughter. The only connection we have left to Veronica.”

The table fell silent. Alessandro and Cristina didn’t know how to beg for Wyatt’s forgiveness or if there even existed an apology good enough to make amends for their abuse of him. 

However, their silence also became a clear sign of begging. 

Wyatt sipped his coffee. He knew what he wanted to do. He knew that his life would become so much better if he kept Alessandro and Cristina out of it. But as the Angel of Death told him, he needed to act like Selena’s father and mother. And if Veronica were still alive, she wouldn’t like it if he acted bitterly.

“I don’t want Selena to lose her connection to Veronica.” Wyatt sighed. He knew that he had only one chance to make himself clear and to set things in line between them. “Know this; I will fight for my daughter. I’ll fight demons, bullies, asshole teachers, and the world to keep my daughter safe and happy. Even if it means protecting her from you.” Wyatt smiled. “That said...it’s not my place to forbid her grandparents from being part of her life just because I can’t stand them.”

Wyatt got up from the chair since he didn’t feel the need to stick around to chat. “I want Selena to know her family, both sides. So if you’re willing to behave and respect that I am her father, then you can stick around. In fact, come to the manor tomorrow at 7 p.m. We’re having Selena’s Wiccaning to bless her with love and goodness, and I’d like it if her mother’s parents could join us.”

Cristina smiled while Alessandro nodded his head. “We’ll be there.” 

*~*

The next evening in the sunroom, Wyatt gathered the family for Selena’s Wiccaning. Wyatt changed Selena into an adorable white gown. He passed Selena over to Victor and Patty, who made themselves comfortable on a couch while waiting for everyone else to arrive. 

Patty rocked Selena and grinned from ear to ear. “Oh, my first great-grandchild. She’s so adorable.” She kissed Selena’s forehead. “When should I expect the next little one?” She turned to Chris and Bianca as news of their engagement spread to the deceased relatives too. “Is there a little Rojas-Halliwell baby in the works?”

Chris and Bianca stared at Patty with a terrified expression from the thought of having a child so soon.

Victor shook his head. “Don’t tease them, Patty. Let them enjoy being engaged. They have plenty of time to think about kids.”

“Yes! But, people, have some kids.” Prue went to the couch and gently scooped Selena into her arms. Selena laughed as she gently tugged on Prue’s hair. “I missed this time. I never got to hold my nieces and nephews, so I need you all to have kids so I can make up for the lost time.”

Paulina poked PJ’s back. “Who knows. PJ has a new boyfriend almost every week, so she might already be pregnant!.”

PJ punched Paulina’s arm. “Don’t jinx me!”

Meanwhile, Piper followed Penny into the room, holding onto the Book of Shadows. “We have everything ready, Grams. You’re all set to perform the Wiccaning.”

Penny shook her head. “Actually, Piper, I think I shouldn’t perform it this time.” She squeezed Piper’s shoulders. “Selena is your granddaughter, Piper. And this is your legacy. It is time for you to take your place as a Halliwell Matriarch formally.” 

Piper gasped. “Grams. Are you sure?”

Penny chuckled. “Of course, my darling. You’ve basically acted like a matriarch since you became a Charmed One.” She pointed at everyone in the room who smiled at the thought of Piper taking the title. “I think no one here would disagree that this is something you should do.”

Joey cheered for Piper while sitting on Carver’s lap. “Woo! Go, mom!”

“Okay.” Piper pressed the Book of Shadows against her chest. She turned to Wyatt. “Unless you have any objections.”

Wyatt shook his head when the doorbell rang. “I’d love it if you performed the Wiccaning, mom.” He excused himself as he went to answer the door. He checked his phone to see that they were about ten minutes from 7 p.m. He answered the door to find Alessandro and Cristina there, dressed in their Sunday best. “You’re right on time. We’re getting ready to start.”

Alessandro and Cristina smiled as they thanked Wyatt for inviting them. They went into the sunroom together as Piper made her final preparations. 

Everyone watched gleefully while Piper began to summon the Matriarchs.

Piper had Leo hold the Book of Shadows so that she could stand. They remained in the sunroom since it was the only room big enough to hold them and the visiting matriarchs. She took a heavy breath before reciting the spell. “ _I call forth from space and time, Matriarchs of the Halliwell line. Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends._ ” Ghostly lights descended from the ceiling while the lights flickered. The sunroom got more crowded as dozens of spirits crossed over from the Afterlife. “ _Our family legacy without end. To gather now, in this sacred place, and help us bring this child to grace_.”

The Matriarchs of the Halliwell line appeared. They dressed in different gowns, representing the various eras. Amongst them in colonial attire stood Melinda Warren, the first witch of their family. Melinda had the brightest smile of them all as she once more saw her family’s continued growth and experienced delight from everyone’s happiness. 

Piper went to Wyatt as she took Selena into her arms. She noticed Penny, Patty, and Prue shuffle over to the other Matriarchs. “The next generation has been born into our family, our legacy.” Piper kissed Selena’s forehead. “We pledge to be with this child. This beautiful girl always. Apart but never separate. Free but never alone. She is one of us, and because of that, we will bless her with all of the goodness that we are.” Piper handed Selena back to Wyatt but made sure that he stood close to her. “Welcome to the family, Selena Fiora Rossi-Halliwell! Blessed be!”

“Blessed be!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuuuuck. I don't know which world is scarier, ours or this Charmed one. Either way, what's going to happen to our favorite family now that there are six Sources of All Evil ruling the Underworld?


	31. It's a Strange World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey howdy yo! So how about Trump getting the boot? Aaaah! Finally, my stupid ass country does something right!
> 
> Also, I got something to add about the fic but will leave it for the end. Read and enjoy! And don't forget to leave your kudos and comments!

The Agency of Supernatural Containment worked ten times as hard in the year since the Hellfire Club’s attack on Disneyland.

Henrick sorted through the files on his desk while he continued to adjust to the changes. He glanced outside his office’s glass walls. More agents wandered the open office than previously as the Agency needed more resources to combat the free exposure of demons. However, that didn’t prove the strangest change yet. 

Now, the Agency had magical beings wandering its halls in the wake of Seth’s manipulations. Witches, Elves, Dwarves, and more magical beings operated in the Agency. The world changed so much, and Henrick struggled to keep up since he was amongst the few to know what life was like before the shift in reality. 

The humans in the Agency knew of none of the changes, nor did Henrick bother to tell them. Henrick had no reason to confuse them, and he doubted that they would even believe him. As far as they knew, the world knew of magic for decades now. As far as mortals knew, the world changed when Piper, Phoebe, and Paige fought Zankou and destroyed the Nexus. That moment became the broadcasted moment that re-exposed the world to magic.

Why Seth selected that moment out of all others proved a mystery to everyone. However, it proved useful enough. Humanity freaked but adjusted. And now magical beings like Elves could roam freely almost anywhere on Earth without raising suspicions.

Speaking of Elves.

Henrick went to his filing cabinet. He searched through everything as he thought of something that might prove useful in defeating Seth. He wanted to kick himself in the ass for not thinking of it sooner as the power would be helpful enough for Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. As much as Henrick hated the thought of relying on witches, this situation proved far too great for a mortal like him to withstand.

Eventually, Henrick found the file in the back collecting dust. He grinned as he brought it to his desk, skimming through the contents to see what he wanted. 

“Alfheim,” whispered Henrick. “Perfect!”

*~*

Wyatt sat on his usual chair at the circle. Other parents gathered, taking their seats as they began their support group meeting.

Since Veronica’s death, Wyatt knew that he needed far more help. He started group grief counseling then enrolled in a parents’ support group meeting. The other parents had a mix of single parents and couples who all needed help when raising kids. Some of the parents had older children, while a handful like Wyatt had newborns and toddlers. 

In the last year, Wyatt experience considerable growth as he adjusted to fatherhood. He had plenty of support from his family, and Veronica’s parents even moved to Sacramento to be closer. And despite their numerous rough patches, things started to improve between Wyatt and Veronica’s parents. However, he didn’t allow Selena to stay with Alessandro and Cristina for longer than a weekend. Even though Wyatt had Chris and Joey help him cast a spell over Selena to ensure Alessandro and Cristina couldn’t get away with any funny business like kidnapping or stripping her powers.

The group session went on with everyone discussing their recent parenting experiences.

“David and I had a good heart-to-heart,” said a single mom, Sarah. “We finally addressed the problems he’s been having at school. And...you were right, Wyatt.” Sarah smiled. “I kept things open, and David finally felt comfortable enough to come out as gay. Thank you for your advice.”

Wyatt smirked. “Happy to help. At least your experience wasn’t as dramatic as what my brother and I went through. I’m sure that’ll seriously help David.”

Sarah nodded. “I hope so.”

“Thanks for sharing, Sarah,” said their group leader, Jefferson. “Now, Wyatt. I think it’s your turn. How are things with Selena?” 

“Great still.” Wyatt chuckled. “She’s starting to talk a little more, and now she’s trying to walk. We’re actually going to celebrate her first birthday in a few days.”

Jefferson smiled. “Wonderful!”

Omar scooted a little away from his wife, Mara. “What about magic? Is she using magic yet?”

Wyatt shook his head. He came out not only as a bisexual dad but a witch to his group. Since the world changed, he didn’t feel the need to keep his magic a secret. It made things a little awkward at first, especially with his former bandmates since they didn’t know, but everyone adjusted.

At least, Wyatt liked to think so, but some people in the group weren’t thrilled with having a witch around. Wyatt never knew what to make of Omar and Mara as they acted far shifter, making them harder to read. “You never know with kids. I’m exceptionally powerful, so my magic was active since I was in the womb, but that wasn’t the case with my brothers. They didn’t start coming into their powers until they were around two to three years old. Same with my cousins. So I’m in no rush for Selena to get her powers.”

Wyatt chuckled. “I’m actually afraid of how that’ll go. She’s already a handful without magic; I’m not looking forward to chasing her around the house when she can teleport wherever she wants.”

“Sounds terrifying,” said a single dad, Kelly.

“You get used to the fear.”

“Well,” said Jefferson. “Now that we’ve finished sharing. How about we review the article that I sent. Anyone want to share their thoughts?”

Wyatt grabbed his notebook that he scribbled his thoughts. The article didn’t apply to him since Selena was still too young for the typical kid tantrum and teenager fights, but he found it useful for the future. He started listening to Kelly sharing his experiences with his daughter when he noticed Omar and Mara staring. 

Their gaze made Wyatt shiver as he wondered if he should expect a fight from them or for them to ask him about a threesome. Surprisingly, that request wouldn’t be the first time that happened since his videos started to make the rounds on the Internet again, thanks to Gay Twitter.

*~*

Down in the Underworld’s depths, Seth entered the old dusty chambers of the Source of All Evil. He tipped over a black vase from Mesopatemia for the fun of it. He searched for items of particular value and wanted nothing to do with such vain items. 

The dim candlelight didn’t help Seth’s search as it wasn’t bright enough for his taste. He couldn’t conceive how the Source lived in such a space. 

Seth knocked over another vase. However, it’s shattering revealed a skeleton key that he found curious. The Source hiding such a key meant that it was meant to hide something of particular value. Seth wiggled his fingers, using his fraction of the Source’s power to undo any curse that might’ve existed. 

In response to the magic, the candles grew brighter. The shift in magic allowed Seth to see the bedchambers. The dusty satin sheets on a colossal bed that had a frame made from mortal and demon flesh. Seth found the bed an overkill, so he focused on the bookshelf and the globe that served as a reflection of the Underworld.

“Are you here?” Seth brought the key to his face while staring at the shelf’s contents. He saw numerous infernal tomes of assorted value. Most of the Source’s tomes were unnecessary to Seth, but some might offer some benefits. 

Seth claimed what he could mean he heard footsteps behind him.

Lamia and Zagon arrived. Blood and flesh stained their clothing, which Lamia started devouring.

“Took you long enough,” said Seth. 

Zagon rolled his eyes. “We would’ve been quicker if Lamia didn’t want to play with her food. And if you allowed us to simply warp reality so that the demons fell to submission.”

Seth tossed one of the tomes to the bed. He would keep that one. “There’s no fun in doing everything the easy way. Plus, wouldn’t you rather beat the rebellious demons?”

“I do.” Lamia licked the blood from her hand. “And now, the other Vampire Queens are back under my control.” She strutted towards Seth. Her hand squeezed his bicep gently as she looked over his shoulder to see the book. She noticed the entry referring to the Hollow. “The Source’s personal tomes. I imagine that they are quite useful. Not as useful as the Grimoire of the Underworld.”

Zagon nodded. “A shame that the Elders had it destroyed. And even with our power, it isn’t so easily reconstituted.”

Seth tossed the next book to the floor since it wouldn’t help. “Tragic. Even with the Underworld under our complete control, it still isn’t enough to eliminate the Charmed Ones and our other enemies.” Seth stared at the skeleton key. A curious thought buzzed across his mind as he looked around the Source’s chambers to find something. That’s when Seth’s gaze fell onto the globe. “I wonder.” 

Zagon and Lamia watched. Seth cautiously approached the globe with the skeleton key beginning to glow. Suddenly, a keyhole manifested in the section of the Underworld that marked the Source’s personal territory. Seth unlocked it, prompting the globe to split in half to reveal a red leather-bound tome. 

Seth carefully took the tome and examined it closely before chuckling. “This is the Source’s personal Grimoire.”

“Amazing!” said Lamia. “Who knows what secrets it contains!”

“Open it!” said Zagon. “We must know what the Source wanted to keep hidden.”

Seth pressed the Grimoire close to his chest. “Not yet. I will search its contents in private. Best not to get everyone’s hopes up. We’ll talk later.” Flames spread across Seth’s body as he vanished from the Underworld. 

The chambers fell silent as Zagon and Lamia exchanged glances.

Lamia grabbed one of the discarded tomes from the floor. “He is a problem. He is keeping things from us.”

Zagon nodded. “It is as Azazel feared. We cannot trust Seth. The Source’s power will warp Seth’s mind because of his blood ties.”

“What next, brother?” asked Lamia.

“We warn the others and prepare for the worst.” 

Zagon and Lamia vanished in fire, too, leaving the Source’s chambers behind.

*~*

Hank felt out of place whenever he visited Chris and Bianca at their apartment in the Financial District. It wasn’t super luxurious since Bianca wanted to keep a low enough profile, but the apartment was far more glamorous than anyone in the family could afford. 

The massive three-bedroom apartment had completely modern features, not to mention the city’s stunning views because of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. Much of the decor had a very modern/chic aesthetic that Hank wasn’t too fond for since he was more of a homey guy. Even Chris found it difficult since he spent his life in a Victorian manor, but the modern features and all the extra space won him over. 

It turned into quite a comfortable home for Chris and Bianca, especially as they lived in engaged bliss.

“You start law school next week, right?” Chris asked as he poured glasses of red wine for Hank and Bianca. He stood behind the kitchen island while they sat on their barstools. “Are you excited to live your Annalise Keating fantasy?”

Hank snorted as he took his wine. “I’m a student, so not quite. I’ll be more of an Asher.”

“But not quite as much of a douche?” Bianca sipped her wine.

“I’ll be as angelic as a Whitelighter!” Hank brushed his thumb against the glass, causing a bit of ice to form. He sipped it once more and enjoyed the mild chill. “Now, less about me, more about you! How are the wedding plans? Have you figured out the date yet?”

Chris and Bianca stared at each other. Despite their excitement for getting married and their relationship being as strong as ever, they hardly progressed with the wedding planning. It didn’t make sense to anyone. The Hellfire Club had gone surprisingly silent even though they could kill everyone with the Source of All Evil’s powers. But the family’s few encounters with the Club since the Disneyland incident occurred because the Club attacked other demons.

However, Chris and Bianca still didn’t use the relative peace to hire a wedding planner or anything.

Hank sipped his wine. He wanted to laugh at their miserable looks but resisted temptation. 

Bianca shook her head. “We’re still discussing things. It’s just that we’ve been so busy. Chris, with the photography business picking up and still teaching at Magic School, while the magical exposure means I manage and send more Phoenixes out to protect the community.”

“Right!” Chris chugged some wine. “Things aren’t looking so great. Maybe once things start quieting down a little more, we can get back to planning. Like officially deciding on having a small or big wedding.”

“I vote small-to-medium,” said Bianca. “There’s no need to make it such a big deal.”

“I agree!” said Chris.

Hank laughed. “Well, there we go! You made one decision.” He raised his glass. “Cheers to the Rojas-Halliwell wedding!” He started clinking glasses with them when he tilted his head away from them. “Whenever that happens,” he mumbled.

Bianca glared. “What was that?”

“Nothing!”

While they drank, a poof of smoke appeared. It shocked everyone as their instincts told them to prepare for a demon attack. Chris nearly fired a bolt of lightning when the smoke cleared to show the Elf, Rusin. 

“Rusin!” said Chris. “Why are you here?”

Rusin gracefully bowed. “Blessings, Chris. I hate to intrude upon your home, but the village needs your help. The Agents have returned with Henrick. We have secured the village, but their presence is worrying us.”

Chris shook his head and groaned. Since the truce they made with Henrick a year ago, Chris thought things might calm down between the Agency and the magical community. However, Chris could see that it was likely a trap. “That bastard!” He chugged his glass until it was empty. “We better get my brothers before we kick his ass.”

Hank sipped his glass. He wanted to bug Chris and Bianca more about the wedding, but protecting the innocent meant that Chris had his chance to avoid any questioning. 

Then again, Hank could still go after Bianca. Hank turned his head while Chris talked to Rusin about the situation. “So, Bianca.”

Bianca covered Hank’s mouth. “Ask about the wedding again, and I’ll kick your ass. Understand me ?” Hank nodded, regretting his decision. 

*~*

Across town and long before Rusin crashed the party, Joey sat on the edge of his queen-sized bed with his laptop out. He updated his blog while Carver finished in the bathroom.

Not long after the Disneyland attack, Mrs. Said passed in her sleep. The tragedy of her death also meant Carver lost a job and would soon lose his basement apartment. However, with Chris moving out, Joey decided to do the same. Joey and Carver managed to find a cute one-bedroom Victorian apartment near the Castro that they could barely afford. 

They settled in about four months ago. They finished setting the place up to their tastes and their budget. They spent most of their money on the bedroom to make it their little oasis since their living room was an exceptionally tight fit. They could barely fit a couch and a chair, so hosting parties was a struggle.

Everything in their apartment felt quite warm and homey since they didn’t like things too modern, but they didn’t want everything to look too much like antiques. 

Joey finished uploading the page. He started a blog that began slowly building quite the audience. He originally created it to educate humans about the magical community, especially as tensions got higher after the Disneyland attack, but it also turned more into a life story project. He started sharing more intimate details of himself and what he could of his family’s history. 

He had a decent amount of supporters now, even with people starting to bug him about writing for their blogs and newspapers. So far, he hadn’t taken any of the offers seriously, but he started thinking that he should. 

The bathroom door opened with a nude Carver drying his hair. “Do we have to go? Can’t we stay in and cuddle?”

“You mean fuck?” Joey tossed his laptop on the bed while staring at Carver. As it neared the full moon, Carver got more handsy than usual.

Carver smirked. “That obvious?”

“Always. And we have to go. I need to pick up clothes for work.”

“You mean your thongs?” Carver dropped the towel onto the floor. He strutted to Joey, kissing Joey softly. “I’ll go with you, but you know the rules.”

“I model the outfits, and you get to undress me afterward.” Joey poked Carver’s belly. “The agreement stands. Now, get dressed!”

“Yes, sir!”

Carver finished getting ready, and they took the bus to the store. They still worked at the bars and clubs, doing their thing and making good money. However, they also grew tired of the nightlife and wanted to move onto other things. Carver talked about following Wyatt’s example and getting his mechanic certificate, while Joey needed to think about post-grad life. 

They ran the errands, getting the other little things that they needed before going into the same shop that Wyatt brought Chris years ago for his first thong. Joey shopped there too since he got a discount for working at Big Nicks.

A bearish man sat behind the register. He stopped scrolling through his phone when he noticed Joey and Carver. “Hey, Joey! I’ll grab your stuff from the back.”

“Thanks, Mitch!” Joey peered around the store. He hummed when he noticed the leather harnesses on the wall. Then, he turned his gaze to Carver. “You know. I think you’d look sexy in a harness.” 

Carver growled. “I’ll go try one on.”

Joey playfully pushed Carver towards the harnesses. Joey started to follow when he noticed Gordon stepping out of a changing room, a handful of jockstraps in hand. “Oh! Hey, Gordon!”

“Hey!” Gordon glanced at the jockstraps, then back at Joey. “Why is it that every time we run into each other, I’m in an embarrassing situation?”

“If it makes you feel any better, you don’t have to worry about me catching you at a bathhouse.” Joey pointed at Carver from across the store. “We pick up our tricks at the clubs or on Grindr like classy ladies.”

“Good to know.” Gordon bit his lip. “So, how’re things? Um. How’s Wyatt?”

While Gordon made an effort to get involved with Wyatt’s life again, it remained apparent how much Gordon liked Wyatt, but Wyatt didn’t notice. And it didn’t help that Gordon kept his distance out of respect to Wyatt’s grieving process and because Gordon got too busy with school.

Joey smiled. “Everything is good. We’re actually about to have a birthday party for Selena. She’s turning one next week.”

“That’s great!” Gordon flinched when he heard Mitch’s voice. Mitch handed Joey the order that he already paid for before going to help Carner with a harness. Gordon raised his eyebrows as he noticed the size of Joey’s box. “How many pairs of underwear did you order?”

“Not enough. The dancing and grabby men wreck them quickly.” Joey pointed at Carver again. “And dating a werewolf can get quite aggressive.”

Gordon nodded. “Sounds intense. Well, I’ll get out of your hair. It was nice seeing you, Joey.”

Joey grabbed Gordon’s arm. While Joey didn’t exactly have the right to intervene on Wyatt’s love life, he felt a painful need to help Gordon. “Wyatt is in a good place now. He’s probably ready to move on from Veronica,” Joey whispered. “I suggest you speak soon or forever hold your peace.”

“Right...thanks.” Gordon went to the cash register to pay for his underwear.

Meanwhile, Carver caught up to Joey with a red and black harness. He tried to ask Joey’s opinion when Joey’s phone went off with a text from Chris.

Joey squinted his eyes as he read the text. “Rusin is here...and Henrick is causing trouble. Again!”

Carver squeezed onto the harness, resisting the urge to growl. “We should get going.”

“Right!”

*~*

Eventually, Wyatt returned home from his parents’ support group and heard the news of Henrick starting trouble. Wyatt had no time to settle in as Chris and Rusin orbed into the manor, dragging Wyatt down the rabbit hole.

Wyatt carried a sleeping Selena into her bedroom, which was Chris’s old bedroom. They converted it into her bedroom, which wasn’t much. Aside from the baby furniture, it didn’t look different from how Chris had things set up. But they hung several photos of Veronica and the family so that Selena always had something to look at when she woke up.

“Alright. Explain it to me again.” Wyatt laid Selena into her crib while Chris and Rusin stood outside the doorway. He tucked Selena in, then kissed her forehead, and turned on her white noise machine. “Why is Henrick after Alfheim this time?”

“No clue.” Rusin followed Wyatt and Chris as they went downstairs. “We’re not even certain if they are Alfheim again since they’re keeping their distance from the village, unlike last time. We don’t know what to make of the situation, especially after the Hellfire Club changed reality.”

Chris shook his head. “I don’t like how this looks. Our family is already outed, and while we don’t have people banging on our doors with torches, the last thing we need to do is start a war with the Agency. People are opening up to trusting this government again since we have a functioning Congress.”

Wyatt agreed as they went downstairs. “The last thing we need is to fight a properly competent U.S. government.”

“Are you talking about overthrowing the government without me?” Joey’s voice boomed as they heard the front door close.

“Overthrowing what government?” Leo came in from the sunroom. “You do realize I served for this country, right?”

Wyatt grinned. “Great job, dad. We really appreciate you punching Nazis, but you forgot to punch the domestic ones.” He pointed at Joey. “You took forever to get here!”

Joey rolled his eyes. “Not everyone can orb. Some of us have to use vehicles.” He waved at Rusin. “Hey, Rusin. Carver says hi.” Joey looked at Wyatt and Chris. “So, we punching cops in the face again? I miss rebelling against the system. This new world order is less apocalyptic than Fox News promised.”

“Don’t jinx it.” Chris patted Joey’s shoulder. “We should get moving before Henrick can do whatever stupid, evil thing he’s planning.”

“Right.” Wyatt turned to Leo. “Can you watch Selena?”

“Of course. Go protect the Elves.”

Wyatt took Rusin’s hand. Wyatt and Chris began to orb, leaving for the Elven village to stop the Agency from whatever nefarious plan that they had in mind.

*~*

On Vancouver Island, near the secluded Elven village, Henrick gathered his dozen agents. They built a makeshift campsite as they gathered their intelligence reports and plotted to enter the Elven village.

Henrick watched the recordings from the drone footage. The village’s wards meant that the drone couldn’t see much, but he got a good enough view of the village to see that they didn’t appear on edge. He didn’t want to act as recklessly as he did last time, especially since his agents’ attitudes changed too. 

“What do you have planned, sir?” asked an agent. 

Henrick glanced at his map. “Let’s start withー” Before Henrick could speak, a swirl of white lights swallowed him. Similar lights appeared across the campsite, consuming the agents as they got pulled elsewhere.

Henrick and the agents’ vision returned to normal as the swirling lights brought them to the Elven village. It didn’t get any better for them. Dozens of Elves stood nearby with bows and arrows, while the brothers stood beside Elder Tya and Rusin.

Wyatt glared while holding a piece of paper containing a summoning spell. “Explain what the fuck you’re doing here, Henrick. This isn’t exactly following our agreement.”

Chris nodded. “Terrorizing the Elves hardly fits the Agency’s charter.”

Joey held up a satchel of Memory Dust. “Talk fast before we get to dusting your ass.”

“It’s not what you think!” Henrick held his hands up. He gestured to his agents to follow his example as they signaled their surrender. “We came unarmed. This is an investigation mission. Far more diplomatic than our last visit.”

Elder Tya tapped her staff on the ground. “Visit? You violated my people’s sacred ritual and attempted to steal power from our ancestral home.”

The Elves readied their arrows, itching for Elder Tya’s command.

Henrick sighed. “Forgive us for our trespassing, wise elder. But we are desperate. Things have only gotten worse because of the Hellfire Club. We need Alfheim’s power to turn the odds back in our favor.”

“You do not deserve Alfheim’s power.” Elder Tya tapped the ground once more. The Elves lowered their weapons. Elder Tya accepted the apology, but she had no intention of letting Henrick and the agents entirely off the hook. “It is not something that mortals can wield. I doubt that even the Charmed Ones are worthy of its power.”

“So, what are we to do about the Hellfire Club?” Henrick gulped. “They are a danger to everyone. Without more power, we have no chance of stopping them!”

The village became silent. Elder Tya had no answers that anyone would like, while Henrick had a good point. It would take more power than anyone had to stop the Hellfire Club now that they had the Source of All Evil’s powers too. The odds were stacked too far against the forces of good; they needed more help.

“It’s up to us,” Chris said, breaking the silence. “As we said before, leave the Hellfire Club to us. Especially Seth.”

Joey nodded. However, mentioning Seth’s name triggered something. Joey’s body tensed up as he had a bone-chilling premonition. Joey could see Seth at the manor, smiling at Leo and Piper while they played with Selena. 

The vision faded, and Joey returned to reality. “We need to get home now!”

“Why?” asked Wyatt and Chris.

“Seth is there!”

*~*

Meanwhile, things at the manor appeared relatively peaceful. Selena woke up from her nap, prompting Leo to bring her into the sunroom as Piper came back home from work. Leo played some harmless cartoons to help keep Selena entertained while talking with Piper about her day.

Piper jingled the play keys in front of Selena. “The kitchen is a disaster now, but nothing that can get fixed with a little elbow grease. We’ll need to close for two days for them to finish the repairs.”

“Well, at least nobody got hurt in the fire.” Leo sat on the floor with Selena. “And the damage wasn’t too bad. A shame you can use magic to fix it without triggering personal gain.”

“Yeah, that rule bites so hard.” Piper smiled as she slid from the couch to get on the floor with them. She picked Selena up into her arms. “The good news is that I get to spend the next two days with my favorite baby uninterrupted!” She kissed Selena’s forehead. 

The front door opened with Bianca and Carver’s voices echoing. They ran into the sunroom and smiled once they saw Selena’s face lit up once she saw them.

“Hey, baby girl!” Bianca kissed Selena’s cheek. Bianca turned to Piper and Leo. “So, are we still going out for family dinner, or did we crash the party?”

“Of course!” Piper passed Selena to Leo. “The boys should be back soon, so I’ll change into something a little more comfortable.” 

“No rush,” said Carver. “They’re in Vancouver, so it’ll take them a while to get back.”

When Piper got on her feet, flames arose from the ground. They sensed the dark magic and then noticed Seth had entered the manor despite the wards they placed to keep him out. “You!” shouted Piper.

Seth grinned. “Hello, Aunt Piper. Uncle Leo.” He glanced at Bianca and Carver, not paying them much attention since they didn’t matter to him. “How we all doing? I hope everyone’s had a wonderful day.”

Carver growled. He charged at Seth and began to shift into his werewolf form. However, Seth waved his index finger. A blast of energy sent Carver crashing into the living room. Carver landed hard on the coffee table, which interrupted his shifting and left him unconscious. 

The crashing caused Selena to scream at the top of her lungs, with Leo doing his best to cover her eyes, so she didn’t see anything.

Then, Bianca conjured an athame and tried to stab Seth but would fail as miserably as Carver did. Seth telekinetically restrained Bianca before tossing her out of the sunroom and caused her to crash against the hallway wall. 

“Little bastard!” Piper flicked her hands and blasted Seth. He stumbled a little from the combustive energy while Piper continued to blast him. It wouldn’t do much good. Seth snapped his fingers to neutralize Piper’s powers. She tried to blast him again only for nothing to happen. “What the fuck?”

Seth tisked. “Now. Now. Piper. You shouldn’t speak such nasty language. There’s a baby present. And you know how their minds soak up everything.” Seth clicked his tongue. “As for your vicious attacks. Ow! Do you treat all your guests so rudely? Or only your favorite nephew?”

“Go back to hell.” Piper grabbed the athame that Bianca dropped and went to stab Seth’s shoulder.

Seth grabbed Piper’s wrist and glared. “What a pity.” He flung Piper across the room. She crashed hard through a wall. The cracking of plaster and wood proved damaging to the house but also left Piper bloody and broken.

“No! Piper!” shouted Leo. 

“Oops.” Seth smiled. “I guess I don’t know my own strength.”

Before Seth moved onto Leo and Selena, a swirl of orbs appeared behind him. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey returned to the manor to see the damage that Seth caused. It left them boiling to see Carver, Bianca, and Piper so horribly injured. However, it only got more frightening as they didn’t know Seth’s intentions for Leo and especially Selena.

Wyatt raised his arm. “Crystals!” He called upon the warding crystals from the attack. He lowered his arm as he orbed the crystals to the sunroom. “Circle!” The crystals formed their circle, prompting the crystal cage to activate. Threads of white light rose from the crystals to seal Seth inside for now.

Leo held onto Selena tightly as he ran into the living room for their safety. 

Chris and Joey joined hands with Wyatt as they had their chance. They spent months figuring out how they’d pull off vanquishing Seth before deciding to try the same method that their mom and aunts did to vanquish the Source of All Evil. Even if it might not work, they needed to do something, especially for the terror that Seth unleashed upon their family home. 

“ _Prudence, Penelope, Patricia, Melinda,_ ” said Wyatt.

“ _Astrid, Helena, Laura, and Grace,_ ” said Chris.

“ _Halliwell witches, stand strong beside us,_ ” said Joey.

Fire ascended across Seth’s bodies as their spell began to take effect. They spoke the final line together, building upon their family’s collective magic. “ _Vanquish this evil from time and space!_ ” The crystal cage shattered from the resulting explosion, leaving them hopeful that they managed to defeat Seth. 

Unfortunately, the universe wasn’t so kind. 

The smoke faded with Seth brushing some dirt from his clothes. He turned to them and smiled. “Is that really the best that the Charmed Ones can muster? Or are you really that stupid?”

They stood still, unable to comprehend why the spell didn’t at least hurt Seth. 

Seth stomped his foot. A telekinetic blast pushed them back a few feet and left them dizzy. “You can’t kill me with Halliwell magic!” Seth laughed as he stepped over the broken crystal cage. “I have the Source’s blood and the Cleaners’ powers, but you forgetーI am still a Halliwell witch too. You can’t kill me with our family’s magic!” 

Seth ignited a fireball and aimed for Wyatt. “And all I wanted to do was leave an early birthday present for my baby cousin. Looks like I get to kill her daddy instead!”

“No!” Joey regained enough of his consciousness to fight back. Threads of scarlet energy spread across his body and coalesced around his chest. The threads coiled into a ball that escaped from Joey’s chest and slammed into Seth, knocking Seth to the ground.

The energy blast knocked the wind out of Seth as he started seeing stars. He shook his head. “But your active powers still work. Fuck!” Flames traveled across Seth’s body as he left the manor. 

A flash of red light appeared on the sofa with a black gift bag left behind, most likely Seth’s present for Selena.

Wyatt and Chris shook off the pain, while Joey stared at himself as the scarlet energy he created faded.

Chris smiled. “You developed a new power just in time.” He looked around to see Carver and Bianca starting to move, but Piper had blood pooling around her. “Shit! Mom!” Chris and Wyatt ran to Piper, immediately healing her before it became too late.

The golden light undid the damage, allowing Piper to flutter her eyes open. 

Piper touched her head. “Ow! Did I die?”

“Almost.” Leo handed Selena to Wyatt. His old medic training kicked in so that he could check Piper’s head. “It’s a good thing that the boys showed up when they did. Otherwise, who knows what might’ve happened.”

Chris patted Joey’s shoulder. “It’s a good thing that this one had a premonition. We wouldn’t have made it in time.”

“Yeah.” Joey stared at his hand. Scarlet energy arose once more. “What is this power?”

“Energy manipulation.” Bianca lowered Joey’s hand so that he didn’t accidentally shoot someone. “Makes sense. Your premonitions and replication powers have you absorb energy, and it looks like you can release that energy now.”

“Sweet.” However, Joey didn’t sound too ecstatic. This new power only emerged because Seth threatened to kill everyone. Joey went over to Carver, hugging him tightly. “Are you okay? Do you need healing too?”

Carver shook his head. “I think I’m fine.” He groaned when Joey touched his lower back. “Or not. Wyatt?”

Wyatt nodded. Before he went to heal Carver, Wyatt’s attention fell onto Seth’s present. He listened to Selena cry before deciding what to do. “Mount Rainier!” Orbs surrounded the gift, sending it far from the manor. “Like I’d let my child have anything you give her, jerkface. Let it burn in a volcano.”

With the present gone, Wyatt went over to heal Carver, while Chris did the same for Bianca. 

*~*

After Seth’s attack, no one felt like leaving, so their initial dinner plans came to a crashing halt. They ended up ordering all the take out that they could ever want since they knew that they deserved all the comfort food in the world. However, all the food also meant a lot of dirty dishes.

The dishwasher ran, but plenty of dishes littered the sink. Wyatt started cleaning everything up after everyone left. Leo and Piper were putting Selena down for the night so that he could clean in peace. 

Wyatt finished scrubbing the last plate. Although cleaning dishes proved a tedious chore, it was one that he didn’t mind doing because it numbed his brain. The monotonous nature of cleaning dishes allowed his brain to shut down enough and free him of some stress. 

However, as he cut the water off, he started thinking about everything that happened today. He groaned from the parents’ support group’s passive-aggressiveness, Henrick’s stupidity, and their failure to vanquish Seth. It all came back, stacking on his brain, which gave him a nasty headache. 

The floor creaked as Piper came to the kitchen. Piper went to the fridge to get herself some water. “Thanks for cleaning up, sweetie. I appreciate it.”

Wyatt grinned while wiping the excess water from around the sink. “Of course, mom. You took a nasty hit today. The least I could do is keep the place clean.”

Piper grabbed the aspirin bottle. “I know. It makes me glad that my Charmed days are behind me. I forgot how much it hurt to go through a wall and how nearly dying sucks.”

“Can I get one?” Wyatt held out his hand as Piper gave him an aspirin. He popped the pill into his mouth to calm his headache while she did the same. “At least made it through this one. I don’t know how we’re going to stop Seth if we can’t use Halliwell magic. Our active powers work, but they’re not strong enough to kill someone that powerful.”

“I’m sure there’s something you can do. It’ll take your time to figure out.” Piper sighed. “Cole was a difficult one to vanquish, and it took him screwing up by altering reality before we could properly vanquish him. Maybe tricking Seth to abuse his reality-warping powers is the key.”

“Too risky. He can hurt a lot of people before we make that happen.” Wyatt shook his head. He didn’t know how they could stop Seth, but he knew what he’d need to do to help. “You know, I don’t think I need the support group anymore. Aside from Seth, I’m in a really good place now. I could better use that time to figure out how to stop the Hellfire Club.”

Piper patted Wyatt’s shoulder. “You don’t have to sacrifice your therapy to obsess over vanquishing demons. Your mental well-being is as important, and it will also affect your powers if you don’t take care of yourself.”

“I know. But I’m serious. The pain of the last year is gone, and I’m not so afraid. Besides, I got you and everyone else to help. It’s time that I step back up to the plate and lead.”

“Alright.” Piper kissed Wyatt’s cheek. “Don’t forget to ask for help if you need it. We’re here for you, Wyatt.”

Wyatt smiled. “Thanks, mom.” He stayed in the kitchen a little longer while Piper left for bed. He stared out the window and smiled. 

Even with the Hellfire Club looming over their heads, Wyatt had a glimmer of hope in his heart. He knew that he and his brothers could handle whatever came next. The hope didn’t come out of desperation of needing to stop their enemies, but the knowledge that they could because they were strong enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo! I've started re-reading the older chapters and noticed that there are gaps in the story because obviously I can't tell every story that I wanted to tell and there are so many ideas that I had that just didn't narratively fit. So, I'm thinking that once I finish this fic, I'll start another series that is just random chapters of the boys' adventures. 
> 
> Like spending another chapter with the awkward growing pains of the boys after becoming the Charmed Ones. Or a chapter that shows the boys before they became Charmed Ones. Or a chapter that shows Wyatt starting his sex work. Or a chapter that shows more of single Chris before he got back together with Bianca. Or maybe a chapter that takes place during the first arc so we see more of Joey and Mark. 
> 
> That's what I'm thinking at least. But we'll see if I commit to it. The updates for that story will be more random since it's obviously not going to be a priority and there isn't an actual narrative leading it. Would that be something you'd be interested in reading?


	32. Birthday Bash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiiiii! Welcome to another fun-filled chapter, this time centered around baby Selena's birthday. And you know what happens. It's not a Halliwell birthday party unless things get a little messy, right?
> 
> Quick FYI, next week's chapter might come a little later since I'm driving home which might also delay the following chapter. We'll see. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

Piper returned from the laundry room with bags full of party supplies. She dumped everything on the dining room table before going into the sunroom to find Alessandro and Cristina playing with Selena. 

Since they would have Selena’s birthday party tomorrow, Alessandro and Cristina came to town early for an extended weekend, sleeping in the manor’s guest room. They mostly came as the visiting grandparents, but their presence would serve as a major convenience for Piper. While Piper took the day off from the restaurant, everyone else had to work and she would need some major help in getting the house ready for tomorrow. 

“Okay!” Piper brushed her hands against her blouse. “There’s everything for the party. I still need to pick up a few things from the store to bake the cake, but I can get that tonight. Can I get one of you to help with the decorations?” 

“I got you.” Alessandro got up from the floor. He struggled to move both as his age caught up to him and forced himself to get away from Selena. “You’re so generously letting us stay at your house for the weekend. One of us might as well help you.” He turned to Cristina, shooting a playful stare.

Cristina rolled her eyes while pulling Selena to sit on her lap. “Yes, and one of us needs to watch our grandbaby! She’s too young to leave unsupervised. Isn’t that right, Piper?”

“Of course!” Piper grabbed Alessandro’s arm. “Now, you! Help me put things up. I’ll need your height since Wyatt and Leo are at work and my other sons abandoned me. We have plenty of things to hang up.” She groaned as she looked at the streamers and banner. “It’s times like these that I wish I had telekinesis like Grams and Prue.”

Alessandro shrugged. “We’ll have to make due by using a ladder.” 

“Or not!” A ghostly voice echoed around them. Three sets of sparkling orbs descended from the ceiling. The swirling lights created a trio of bodies as Penny, Patty, and Prue crossed over from the Afterlife. Penny looked over Piper’s shoulder to see everything on the table. “Now, you can leave this mess to me!”

“Grams! Mom!” Piper shook her head. “Prue! What are you doing here?”

Patty ran to give Piper a hug and a kiss. “A quick visit before my great-granddaughter’s birthday. We’ll be back tomorrow too, but since you’re so desperate for help. We figured we should help you now.”

Prue ran into the sunroom to hold Selena, who quickly squealed with delight as she felt Prue’s arms. “Yeah. And, it means we get to spend a little more time with the little one.”

“I appreciate it.” Piper pointed to the bags on the dining room table. “However, if you’re here to help, then get to helping. Don’t bogart our time with the grandchild.”

Penny huffed. She wiggled her index finger, causing the banners and streams to float. “You’re lucky we’re dead, darling, so personal gain doesn’t apply to us.”

“I know. That’s why I’m making you do the work!” Piper laughed as she went back into the sunroom with Alessandro. “I also left the tape and nails in the bag too!”

*~*

Meanwhile, Wyatt had to swallow every desire he had to beat his trainee mechanic. The new guy, Arnie, continued to demonstrate how much of a disaster he was on the job that Wyatt couldn’t believe that Arnie had training. If Wyatt hadn’t so closely supervised Arnie, Arnie would’ve fucked up a Mustang’s breaks and screwed up a Jeep’s tires.

“Take a lunch break, Arnie.” Wyatt left the breakroom before it was too late. He didn’t even want to hear Arnie’s voice or risk throwing a punch. 

“Thanks, boss!” Arnie remained painfully oblivious to how close he was to having Wyatt beat his ass.

Wyatt shuddered because of Arnie’s voice. The distance from the breakroom improved a lifesaver so that he could focus on his work, not covering Arnie’s ass. 

Phones rang near the reception area, but Wyatt had enough staff to keep that covered. While grateful for his supervisory position, Wyatt also had far more stress that left him a wreck. He started reviewing some of the paperwork when he noticed Gordon’s name. 

Looking around the lobby, Wyatt found Gordon sitting alone with a book. Wyatt took Gordon’s paperwork and went over to him. 

The footsteps echoed enough for Gordon to notice. Gordon grinned as he stared at Wyatt and his oil and grease-covered coveralls. A necklace, with something that slightly resembled an umbrella and other strange markings along it too, bouncing against his chest as he started to get on his feet. “Hey, Wyatt.” He bit his lip to snap himself out of the trance he felt at Wyatt’s greasier look. “My car’s not ready, is it?”

“Not yet. Haven’t even started.” Wyatt glanced at the paperwork to see everything that Gordon wanted done. He whistled. “However, I can let you know now that we probably won’t get to your car today, and you’ll need to leave it overnight. I can promise that I can get it done before noon tomorrow. And I can still get you the friends and family discount.”

“Oh!” Gordon shook his head. “Damn. I was hoping to get it back sooner. I guess I’ll need to call a ride.” He closed his book and grabbed his phone. His head buzzed what to do for now when he noticed the date. “Wait. You’ll work on my car? But isn’t tomorrow Selena’s birthday?”

Wyatt nodded. “Yeah, but I have to work until one, so the party isn’t until three.” Wyatt smirked. He thought of the last time he saw Gordon a month ago, but they hadn’t properly hung out in a few months now. “You know, the party is a family thing, but why don’t you come too? It’s been forever since we chilled.”

Gordon chuckled as he kicked his feet. He didn’t know how to say without risking making a fool of himself. “Yeah. I can go. But...you sure it’s cool? If it’s family only.”

Wyatt shrugged. “I only made it family only since Steve and Vince are always canceling on me because they’re with their girlfriends, and Jessica moved to Seattle, so she couldn’t make it anyway. But, yeah, bro, I’d really like it if you came. You don’t even have to bring a present.”

“Of course I’m bringing a present!” Gordon pulled himself together. The anxiety he felt from his feelings for Wyatt finally calmed down from behaving like a proper guest. “I can’t come to a kid’s birthday party without a present! I’m not an asshole.”

“Okay! Okay!” Wyatt laughed. “I didn’t mean to offend you. But if you want to get Selena something, she’s into horses and the color blue.”

“Horses and the color blue?”

Wyatt shrugged again. “That’s my kid’s thing. I’m positive it will only get weirder from there based on my brothers and cousins.”

“Alright. I’ll see what I can do. Well, since I have all this time, I might as well go shopping for a present.” Gordon bumped fists with Wyatt since they couldn’t hug from all the oil and grease. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya, dude!” Wyatt left Gordon to head back to the breakroom, which unfortunately meant he’d have to deal with Arnie again.

*~*

At Chris and Bianca’s apartment, they rearranged the living room to prepare for a photo shoot. Chris had the chance to snag a potentially high-paying client to do their wedding photos, but Chris needed to send an updated portfolio. The potential client came from a wealthy and influential family in the city that found Chris because he did the client’s cousin’s prom photos. This client’s influence in the city meant that Chris couldn’t afford to blow his chance to get the gig.

Bianca, Carver, and Joey acted as his models as they created a pseudo-wedding spread. They set the lighting up correctly while gathering enough props for their makeshift wedding. Luckily, Joey and Carver liked having fresh flowers around to create the scene they needed.  
  
Bianca and Carver acted like the bride and groom, while Joey stood in as the flower boy. They dressed in their nicest dress and suits to perfectly set the scene that Chris wanted, and the client would expect. 

“Okay. Bianca, raise the bouquet a little more to your left. And Carver, move your hand a little higher on Bianca’s hips. Perfect! Joey, can you give those baby dolls eyes like you used to give mom and dad when you wanted a new toy?”

Joey had flowers in hand while fluttering his eyelashes. “You mean like this?” He sighed and gave an almost whimpering expression.

Chris kneeled to get the angle that he wanted for the photo. “That’s the one! Now, hold it, people!” He clicked away on the camera, snagging all the photos that he needed. He made sure to reposition himself to get other angles before redirecting them into different poses. 

They kept the process going for another hour before Chris ended the photoshoot. 

With everything done, Chris began to back the photos up into his laptop. He had enough close calls to know to always immediately back up everything or else risk losing everything. 

Carver helped take down the green screen since they needed his height. “Hey! So if you get this wedding gig, are you going to use this as an excuse to hire their wedding planner or something?”

“I hadn’t considered that.” Bianca carried the chairs back into the dining room. 

“Oh!” Joey worked on bundling the flowers. “That’s a great idea! Y’all really need the help since you haven’t made any progress with your wedding. Wyatt, the cousins, and I are starting to take bets on how many years it’ll take before you finally get married with bonus money on how many kids you’ll have before getting married.”

Chris bit his lip as Joey picked at an emotional scab. The wedding plans weren’t moving along, and with their engagement already reaching the one-year mark, people started asking more questions if the wedding would even happen. Not that he had a good answer. They didn’t have much of an explanation for why they weren’t at least further along in the wedding plans, and it started to get underneath his skin. 

Chris shook his head. “Maybe you should worry less about our wedding plans and focus on mastering your new power!” He went back to taking down his lighting equipment.

Joey huffed as he tossed the flowers onto the coffee table. Chris effortlessly distracted Joey from the wedding so that he could defend his magical prowess. “I am perfectly capable of manipulating energy! See!” Webs of scarlet energy rippled across Joey’s body. He wiggled his fingers to reshape the energy into a transparent ball. 

However, the transparent ball lost its stability. It exploded against Joey and sent him flying into a wall. “Ow! Maybe not!” 

“Holy shit!” Carver ran to Joey with Bianca not far behind.

“Shit!” Chris dropped his reflector on the couch. He stared at the small hole that formed from Joey crashing into the wall. “Damn! There goes our security deposit.” Joey, Carver, and Bianca glared at Chris. Chris gulped. “I mean一Oh, no! Joey! Are you okay? Do you need healing?”

Joey huffed as Carver and Bianca helped him to his feet. “No. I’m perfectly fine, Chris. Thanks for caring.” Joey looked behind him while Carver brushed the plaster from his shirt. “Jackass.”

Chris walked over to Joey, who left for the kitchen. He cringed as he noticed the hole on the wall and knew that Joey hit it hard. “For real, Joey. Are you okay? Do you need healing? I’m sorry.”

“Fix your wall and plan your damn wedding, jackass!”

Chris glanced at Bianca, who couldn’t help but laugh. While she also had issues with everyone harassing them about the wedding, she still found Joey’s attack entertaining. Bianca grabbed onto Chris’s arm. “We really should start planning this wedding. I don’t want to become the couple that is engaged for ten years.”

“Okay.” Chris kissed Bianca’s forehead. “Let’s see if I even get this job; then we can get serious about planning things.”

“No!” Joey screamed from the kitchen. “Get serious now! Bianca already did the proposing; you need to step up and plan the wedding!”

Carver patted Joey’s back. “Easy, babe. It’s their wedding. Not yours.”

Joey huffed. “Start planning the damn thing and stop dropping the ball.”

“I’m not dropping the ball!” Chris screeched, rushing to his defense. However, he turned to Bianca since he didn’t have a good answer. “Am I?”

Bianca shrugged. “We are. And we can fix that.” She kissed his cheek when they heard a ding from the computer. Chris smiled and agreed to get the wedding planning together as he finished backing up the photos.

*~*

Azazel and Zurie spoke in hushed tones at the Hellfire Club’s mansion. They heard Zagon and Lamia’s earlier report, which allowed them the justification that they needed to keep a closer watch on Seth. The situation worsened as Seth remained locked away in his bedroom since his attack on the Halliwells. They knew a little of the brothers’ failed attempt to vanquish Seth, but not much else. 

On the gray sofa, Zurie traced her finger against Azazel’s hand. “We’ll need to consider a failsafe. If we can’t keep Seth in line.”

“Yes.” Azazel nodded. He maintained his focus, narrowing on Seth’s location so that they didn’t get caught by surprise. “Seth is potentially becoming too much trouble. However, I can’t think of a failsafe that might kill him. Even the Charmed Ones cannot end him.”

“Then, perhaps joining our powers will be enough,” whispered Zurie.

Azazel didn’t have enough time to consider Zurie’s suggestion. 

Flames rose from the floor as Seth materialized. Azazel and Zurie fell silent as Seth stood grinning with the Source’s grimoire in hand. 

Seth licked his lips. “Hello, friends! I’m glad that the two of you are here!”

Zurie adjusted herself on the sofa. She readied herself for combat, channeling her magic as they didn’t know for certain if Seth overheard them. “Hi, Seth. It’s good to see you alive and well. We were worried since we haven’t heard from you in days.”

“A shame. I know.” Seth handed the Source’s grimoire to them. “However, I’ve been studying. I found many of the Source’s old secrets, but, most importantly, I found us a game-changer. There is something that will help us not only defeat the Charmed Ones but end the war between good and evil!”

Azazel’s eyes widened. He took the grimoire and noticed the entry that Seth left for them to review. “Neferica?”

Seth nodded. “Yes. Neferica. The ancient demonic homeland that once floated over this world during the old age of magic. The grimoire confirmed that it was from the grounds of Neferica that the Source emerged with many Old Ones. In the war against the Gods, the Source brought Neferica from the Underworld to the earthly plane where the Old Ones spawned thousands of demons!”

Zurie read the text. “But Neferica fell. The Gods defeated the Source and the other Old Ones, then the Gods banished Neferica from this dimension.”

“But the demons that they spawned remain frozen in Neferica,” said Seth. “And by creating enough chaos, we can shatter the Gods’ seals, bringing Neferica back to this dimension.”

Azazel chuckled. “We’d have thousands of old demons at our disposal. Stronger demons due to their direct connection to the Old Ones. Not even the Charmed Ones could stop such an assault!”

“Exactly!” Seth flicked his wrist, prompting Nomed to appear. “We need to make the first move. My dear cousin, Wyatt, is having a birthday party for his baby girl.” Seth turned to Nomed. “I want you to gather many demons. Ruin the party and force the Charmed Ones into a fight. Let us create enough chaos that we fill them with despair!”

Nomed nodded. “Yes, my liege.” He shimmered from the mansion to recruit the right demons for this job.

Azazel and Zurie turned to each other. They knew that they still couldn’t fully trust Seth, but the plans to bring Neferica to this dimension proved one that they couldn’t overlook. It could prove their best chance at ending the Charmed Ones while also setting the stage for them to usurp Seth.

So, for now, Azazel and Zurie would play along with Seth’s plan until they could remove him from the chessboard.

*~*

The party began with a bang. Everyone gathered at the manor to celebrate Selena’s first birthday. Selena acted like a true belle of the ball even as she had no idea what everyone was doing or the fact that she was having a birthday party. She only knew that she got attention from everyone, so her baby mind soaked it up.

A mountain of presents gathered on the dining room table. The family crowded the first floor, making themselves quite comfortable. 

Gordon would join the party after getting his car back from the shop. He stood with Chris in the sitting room, noticing how odd it appeared to see their dead relatives. “So...um...are ghosts a normal thing for you?”

Chris sipped his soda. He looked over to see what Gordon meant as Prue handed Victor a drink. Gordon’s known their family for years, so he naturally would find Prue, Patty, and Penny’s presence confusing. “Yeah. There are spells to summon the spirits of the dead. We try not to summon them too often, but they like to show up for special occasions.”

“And why isn’t Veronica here?” Gordon made sure to speak softly as Alessandro passed by them as he returned from the kitchen with a beer. “Wouldn’t she want to be here?”

Chris sighed. He tugged on Gordon’s arm, pulling him closer towards the stairway so that they were further away from everyone else. “There are rules when it comes to summoning the dead so that the living can move on and the dead can accept their fate. The living cannot summon a recently deceased loved one because they must accept death’s inevitability, which can take years. Plus, forcing someone who recently died to remain on Earth runs the risk of them resenting the still living and become a vengeful spirit.”

“Oh!” Gordon gulped. “I had no idea magic had so many rules.”

“Well, only the good guys have to obey the rules. The bad guys love breaking those rules.”

Chris ran off to get another drink when Joey came from the kitchen with a bowl of grapes. “Alright!” shouted Joey. “I got snacks for the baby. Now, which basketcase relatives want to help feed her?”

“Me!” Patty ran to take the grapes from Joey. She poked his nose. “And you shouldn’t insult your grandmother, little boy!”

Joey smiled. “Sorry, grandma.”

Meanwhile, Gordon looked for Wyatt. He couldn’t find any signs of Wyatt, prompting him to move upstairs. When Gordon reached the staircase, he found Wyatt sitting on the top step.

Wyatt sat still, eyes closed. At first glance, Gordon thought Wyatt was meditating. However, the closer Gordon got, he saw drying tears on Wyatt’s face. 

Wyatt sighed. He brushed what remained of his tears when he noticed Gordon. He sniffled. “Uh. Hi, Gordo. You heading up to the bathroom? Sorry that I’m in your way.”

Gordon shook his head. He pushed Wyatt to sit back down as he joined him on the top step. “It’s cool, Wyatt. I came to check on you. You’ve been missing for a while.”

“Crap.” Wyatt rubbed his eyes. “How pathetic am I? I’m missing my kid’s first birthday party because I can’t stop crying.”

“Because she’s growing up so fast?” Gordon bit his lip as he thought of another reason for Wyatt’s crying. “Or because of Veronica?”

Wyatt looked away from Gordon, closing his eyes again. His hands balled into a fist and squeezed onto his jeans. “It’s not fair.” His voice cracked as he spoke. “It isn’t fair that Veronica isn’t here. Not even as a fucking ghost.” 

Gordon patted Wyatt’s back while Wyatt choked on his tears. “Hey. Take it easy. I know this day is hard for you, but you have to keep it together for Selena. She needs her dad.”

“I know.” Wyatt tried to breathe normally. He took a couple of deep breaths, suppressing this round of tears. “I know. But...it’s a lot. Today, I get to celebrate Selena’s birth; then, tomorrow is the anniversary of Veronica’s death. It’s a fucked uptime. And it’s so hard to hold it together.”

Gordon frowned. “I’m sorry. I wish there were more I could do to help you.”

Wyatt sighed. He unballed his fists and squeezed Gordon’s leg. “You’re good, Gordo. It’s just nice having you here.” Wyatt smiled, holding it together enough to get back to the party. Gordon smiled back as he followed Wyatt downstairs.

They made it to the bottom of the staircase. Piper screamed about getting the cake. Carver and Hank volunteered to get the cake ready. 

As Wyatt and Gordon rejoined the party, things went south. Half a dozen demons shimmered into the manor, appearing in every room. Paulina screamed “demons,” which sent everyone into overdrive. A demon appeared behind Wyatt and Gordon with an energy ball in hand. 

The demon surprised Wyatt, preventing Wyatt from using his powers, but Gordon noticed the demon on time. Gordon grabbed onto Wyatt, pushing them towards the ground. However, the energy ball struck Gordon in the back.

Wyatt’s eyes widened, terrified as he knew the energy ball would kill Gordon. However, as they crashed to the floor, Wyatt noticed that Gordon didn’t die. Instead, silver energy rippled across Gordon’s body that coalesced around his necklace. 

Gordon’s eyes fluttered open as he seemed more stunned from the fall than hurt from the energy ball that burned through his shirt. Wyatt glanced at Gordon’s back, not even seeing a burn mark.

Explosion rippled across the manor. Chris blasted a demon with a lightning blast, while Paige orbed a plate at a demon’s head. Penny and Prue hurled a demon across the hallway. Hank froze a demon with a cold wind when Tamora blasted the same demon with a combustive blast. Joey kicked a demon out of the sunroom so that Piper could blast that demon.

Wyatt glared at the demon standing on the staircase. He flicked his wrist, blasting the demon with a combustive blast. The demon’s screams echoed. Wyatt rolled onto his feet and helped Gordon up too when he spotted one of the demons shimmering away before Phoebe and Bianca could attack him.

Joey closed his eyes and sighed. His body shivered as he forced a premonition. “I know where the demon’s going. We can track him!” He grabbed Chris’s hand then turned to Wyatt. “We should hurry.”

Wyatt almost nodded when he finally heard Selena crying. Her deafening cries and how she pushed at Cristina’s arms while screaming “daddy” left Wyatt frozen. Wyatt only started thinking clearly when he heard Joey and Chris yell at him.

Wyatt shook his head. He took Selena from Cristina’s arms and held Selena close as he tried soothing her. “I can’t.” Wyatt closed his eyes. “I can’t.”

Chris sighed. He turned to Joey. “Focus on the location. We need to stop these demons before more decide to show up and crash the party.” He glanced at Wyatt. “We’ll call if we need help.” Light-blue orbs swirled around Chris and Joey as they departed to hunt the demons.

Even as Chris and Joey rushed into danger, Wyatt couldn’t bring himself to do the same. Not while Selena continued to cry and he thought of Gordon almost dying to save him. Wyatt muttered soothing words to Selena, trying his best to calm her down.

*~*

The light-blue orbs gathered at a dark alleyway. Chris and Joey couldn’t see any demons nearby but noticed a red light bulb above a black door that bore a reversed pentagram. As they stared at the door, Chris and Joey knew that they would suffer from a significant disadvantage without Wyatt, especially if they needed the Power of Three to face the demons.

Joey gulped. “Does this remind you of when we went to Bloodborne to kill the warlock that paid the guy to shoot Hank?”

Chris nodded. “Looks like I’m not the only one getting a little deja vu. Should we take the risk? We don’t know what type of demons are lurking inside.”

“Only one way to find out.” Joey approached the door. He braced himself to kick it down when they noticed a flash of pink light nearby. They looked behind them to see that PJ brought Bianca and Hank. “What are you doing here?”

Hank approached the door, noticing how odd it appeared. “For backup. Since Wyatt didn’t go with you, we decided that some of us should join you. We didn’t know if the demons would return, so we didn’t want to leave manor completely defenseless.”

Bianca squeezed onto Chris’s hand. “It was too big of a risk for you to face these demons alone. Even if we can’t replace the Power of Three, you should have a proper backup.”

“That’s right!” PJ crossed her arms and stared at the door. “So...what should we do first?”

Joey patted Hank’s back then pointed at the door. “Let’s crash the demons’ party. Hank, would you freeze the hinges?”

Hank cracked his knuckles. “My pleasure.” He blew at his hand’s palm, unleashing a chilly wind that froze the door’s hinges. He stepped aside so that Chris and PJ could finish the job.

They swung their hands. A telekinetic blast snapped the door from its frozen hinges, causing it to crash into the building across from them. They found a dark hallway and heard music vibrating against the walls. 

They entered the building to find a dozen leather-clad demons inside a hidden bar. Joey muttered that the bar reminded him of Bloodborne once more when the demons began throwing fireballs and energy balls. Everyone responded quickly in dodging the attacks before countering with their magic. 

Bianca flung an energy ball at a red-headed demon, while PJ telekinetically hurled a demon against a wall. Hank froze the ground so that a pair of demons slipped. Chris fired a lightning blast, and Joey kicked a demon’s face. However, the fight would prove far more difficult. A spike in demonic energy rippled across the bar.

Joey wrapped a hand around a burly demon’s neck. He replicated the demon’s power before stabbing the demon with an athame. As he conjured an energy ball, he noticed more demons appearing in the bar. “Incoming! It’s a trap!”

The others looked around to see the demonic reinforcements and knew this fight got harder.

*~*

At the manor, Wyatt finally comforted Selena enough to where she didn’t need to scream and cry. Selena’s calm allowed Wyatt some peace, but the peace brought shame. He started thinking that he made a mistake in abandoning his brothers when they left to face the demons. It didn’t get any easier for his mind when Bianca went with PJ and Hank after convincing them to backup Chris and Joey.

However, Wyatt looked at Selena as she squeezed onto his shirt with her little hands. Selena experienced demon attacks before, but never this many demons attacked at once. He started wondering if this attack would trigger a lifelong trauma that made his guilty mind feel even worse.

“Goddess,” whispered Wyatt. 

Wyatt continued to carry Selena as he went into the living room to find Gordon. 

Gordon sat on the sofa with Paige finishing healing any injuries he may have sustained. The golden light faded from Paige’s hand as she could tell that Gordon was physically okay. “Let me know if you’re still hurting,” said Paige. “Otherwise, I think all you need now is some rest. And maybe a tequila shot.”

Gordon chuckled. “Thanks, Mrs. Paige.”

Paige got up from the couch. She smiled at Wyatt while rubbing Selena’s back. She left them alone to check on everyone else. 

Wyatt joined Gordon on the couch, sitting Selena on his lap. He managed to look away from Selena to focus on the necklace that Gordon wore. “You risked yourself to protect me from that demon. Why? You know I can protect myself.”

Gordon smiled. “You’re my friend. Of course, I was going to help you. And...I panicked. I didn’t think of your powers and only thought of protecting you.”

Wyatt smiled from the memory of a defenseless Gordon protecting him. “I don’t know what to say.” He listened to Selena mutter a soft cry as she leaned against his chest. He pulled Selena closer. “And that necklace? It started glowing and protected you from the demon’s attack. What is it?”

“This?” Gordon touched the necklace. “I don’t know. My dad gave it to me when I was a kid. His mom gave it to him when he was young and made sure that he’d pass it on to his kid. All I know is that it’s a Buddhist symbol, and he told me always to wear it for protection. Looks like it has some real magic.” 

Wyatt stared at the necklace. He couldn’t sense any magic from the necklace, but he also didn’t notice any magic from it before. And he could remember Gordon having that necklace since high school. “Strange...I think we’ll need to look into it.”

Gordon nodded. “Sure. But shouldn’t you go after your brothers? Don’t they need your help more than I do?”

Wyatt shifted his gaze. He looked at the sunroom where everyone else picked up the mess from the demon attack. The mood shifted to concern, especially when Chris and Joey left. Everyone seemed a little on edge, bracing themselves for another attack. It certainly was something that made Wyatt more anxious than usual. 

It irritated Wyatt as the anxiety to stay behind to look after Selena, and his guilt for not joining his brothers played tug of war at his spirit. 

“I can’t.” Wyatt shook his head. “My kid has to come first. I have to protect Selena. But...I can’t let my brothers down. What if not helping them means that more demons will come here because they can’t vanquish the ringleader. Fuck.” Wyatt covered Selena’s ears even as it was too late. He could only pray that she didn’t repeat his profanity. 

Gordon gently touched Wyatt’s shoulder. “You’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself, Wyatt. That stress isn’t healthy for you. And you can’t put the weight of the world on your shoulders. You shouldn’t. Know one could bear that burden.”

Wyatt sighed. “I’m a Charmed One. It’s not like I have much of an option.”

“But you need to remember you’re not alone!” Carver walked into the living room. He had his arms crossed against his chest. “Everyone is here to help you, Wyatt. Selena has plenty of people to love and care for her, even if something terrible happens.”

Selena looked away from Wyatt’s chest. She had a little grin as she noticed Carver. “Ca-dog.”

Gordon squinted his eyes. “Ca-dog?”

Carver shrugged. “She can’t say Carver, and she thinks my werewolf form is a regular dog.” He went over to join them. He kneeled on the ground, gesturing for Wyatt to hand Selena to him. Wyatt hesitated, but Selena shuffled against him and tried to go to Carver by herself. Wyatt swallowed the anxiety and allowed Carver to hold Selena, who appeared happy in his arms. “See?” Carver carried Selena carefully. “We got her, Wyatt. Now, you need to get your brothers. They need you more than Selena does right now.”

“But,” whispered Wyatt.

“No, buts.” Gordon moved his hand and gently turned Wyatt to face him. Their eyes locked in a way that felt different than ever before. While they always looked at each other in the eye, they felt a spark. Gordon’s crush for Wyatt faded and morphed into pure compassion, while Wyatt felt Gordon’s concern, but his heart began to flutter as he met Gordon’s gaze. “I don’t really get this magic stuff, but I do know that your brothers need to work together. You rely on each other and are stronger together, so you need to go to them. Remember, you’re not just Selena’s dad; you’re also a hero.”

Carver nodded. “A real super witch.”

Wyatt smiled and almost began to cry while he stared into Gordon’s eyes. Wyatt nodded, taking the encouraging words to heart. “You’re right. You both are.” Wyatt got on his feet, with Gordon and Carver doing the same. He reached for Gordon’s hand, surprising himself and Gordon from the simple gesture. “I’ll go after them. And you’re going to stick around until I get back, right?”

“Of course,” said Gordon.

Wyatt turned to Carver and Selena. He kissed Selena’s forehead. Even as Selena knew that Wyatt would leave soon, she didn’t cry as she remained calm. Selena’s calmness allowed Wyatt to maintain his determination, then pointed at Carver. “If my kid’s missing even a hair, I’m shoving a silver dildo up your ass. Got it, wolfman?” 

Carver held Selena closer to his chest. “Yeah. I’m on it, Mr. Dad. Count on me to keep the little one safe.”

“Good!” Wyatt moved a little further away and reached out to sense Chris and Joey’s location. He could feel their energy and noticed that their energy appeared unstable, like they got into a fight. He had no time to waste. 

Light-blue orbs surrounded Wyatt’s body as he left to rescue the others.

*~*

The battle at the demon bar intensified. More demons appeared, raining magical hell. Energy balls and fireballs sailed across the bar, while blasts of electricity blasted the walls and furniture flew across the bar. 

PJ swung her hand. A table crashed into a platinum-haired demon’s back, stunning the demon before he could attack Bianca, who fended off a demon’s attack. Meanwhile, Joey brought his hands together to spew acid that he replicated from a demon. The acid melted a demon, but Joey wouldn’t escape unscratched as an energy ball flew near his head. Light-blue orbs surrounded the energy ball as Chris redirected it, while Hank froze the demon.

The demons outnumbered them, which made the fighting get worse. Eventually, Joey and PJ slid across the bar to hide as the demons unleashed a barrage of fireballs and energy balls. Light-blue orbs appeared behind the bar as Chris crouched low, while Bianca shimmered there with Hank. 

Hank flinched as he stared at the burn mark on his back. “Damn! That demon got me.”

Chris moved to heal Hank when the bar shook. A few of the attacks crashed into bar shelves. Bottles shattered with liquor raining over them. “Shit! Glass!” He flicked his wrist. He orbed as much as the glass as he could at the demons. However, he couldn’t see behind him, so his aim was off, and he missed the demons. 

“I don’t think we can win this!” PJ covered her head as the broken glass fell over them. “Anyone have an evac plan?”

Bianca shook her head. “They’ll follow us to the manor. We have to figure out how to stop the demons now!”

Joey stared at a nearby mirror to see the demons showed no signs of exhaustion. “How do we pull that off?”

Hank covered his bloody shoulder. “Dumb luck?”

Luckily, they would get that dumb luck. Another set of orbs gathered as Wyatt orbed into the bar. Wyatt stood near the doorway when he saw the demons continue their attack. He saw his family cowering behind the bar, unaware that he was present. 

Wyatt clenched his fists. Golden energy rippled across his fists as he stood up straight. “Enough!” Wyatt’s voice boomed due to his projection powers. It startled everyone, even the demons who feared a greater demon entered the bar but saw Wyatt. Wyatt glared at the demons. “Leave my family alone.”

“Kill him!” shouted a green-haired demon.

The golden light erupted from Wyatt’s hand. He unleashed a devastating wave of energy that not only neutralized the demons’ attacks but also tore the demons asunder. In a single blast, Wyatt appeared to vanquish all the demons in the bar. 

Now that they cleared out the demons, the others could leave their hiding spot behind the bar. Chris orbed the glass fragments from their bodies as they started moving over to Wyatt. Hank stumbled because of his injury, so Wyatt rushed over to provide healing.

Joey sighed. “You took your sweet time getting here.”

Wyatt smiled as he finished healing Hank’s back. “You can thank your boyfriend and Gordon for knocking some sense into me.”

“Good on them,” said PJ.

Coughing echoed. They readied themselves for another fight when they noticed a bald demon on the ground, covered in blood and scrapes. The bald demon struggled to get on his feet as his energy escaped him from narrowly surviving Wyatt’s attack. 

Bianca glared at the demon. “He was at the manor.”

Chris swung his wrist. He flipped a table to pin the demon down. “Why the hell did you attack us at our home? Haven’t you demons learned by now that we are at our strongest at home?”

The demon growled as he tried to push the table off, but it wouldn’t budge. “Fuck! The Hellfire Club’s payment wasn’t enough for this shit.”

Wyatt squinted his eyes. “The Club paid you to attack us! Why?”

The demon chuckled. “I’ll take that information to the grave. But you, fucking witches, don’t know what’s in store for you. The Club’s plans will give this world to us!”

“Not you.” Wyatt flicked his wrist since the demon wouldn’t give them anything else. A blast of combustive energy struck the demon, vanquishing him. The demon’s screams lingered for a second before they saw nothing but the ashes and scorch marks of demons. Wyatt turned to the others. “Let’s go eat some cake.”

*~*

At the late hour of nine o’clock, everyone left the manor as the party ended. Joey and Carver took Victor back to his apartment at the senior community, while Penny, Patty, and Prue returned to the Afterlife. Wyatt wished everyone a goodnight as he brought Selena’s gifts into his room so that he could organize and put everything away tomorrow. 

Right now, Wyatt collapsed to his bed. Wyatt felt the exhaustion rippling across his body from work, the party stress, and fighting demons. He couldn’t wait to go to bed. However, one more guest remained.

The knock at the door snapped Wyatt out from his drowsiness. He got on his feet as Gordon stepped into the bedroom. Smiles appeared on their faces as their eyes locked once more.

Wyatt crossed his arms. “I thought you were the grandparents here to interrupt my mellow.”

Gordon closed the door behind him. “Nope. They’re all putting Selena to bed. Does it really take four adults to put a baby to sleep?”

“My stubborn child, who knows she can manipulate anyone by acting cute? Yes. Yes, it does.”

Gordon laughed. “Then, I see why you’re hiding here. Leave them to deal with the trouble.” Gordon clicked his tongue. He kept staring at Wyatt, who tried to avert his gaze. “So...you wanted me to stick around. And since pretty much everyone is gone now, what did you want to talk about? It’s not about my necklace, is it?”

Wyatt shook his head. He sauntered to Gordon but kept himself at arm’s length. “No. Not that. Um.” Wyatt sighed. “Um. I wanted to thank you for coming to Selena’s party. And for the gift.” Gordon shuddered while Wyatt glanced at the blue stuffed horse on the pile of presents. “I’m surprised you found that so quick.”

Gordon folded his arms behind his back. “You’re not the only one who can work some magic.” He looked at Wyatt’s room and smirked. “I don’t think I’ve been in this room since high school. Back when we…” Gordon met Wyatt’s gaze. “When we hooked up, and your dad and Chris almost caught us.”

Wyatt licked his lips. “Sounds about right. We never really talked about giving each other blowjobs other than agreeing not to talk about it.”

“I kinda want to talk about it now.” Gordon noticed as Wyatt’s eyes widened. “Not about it about it. But more like my feelings about it. Joey told me to open up because I might not get another chance.” Wyatt squinted his eyes, trying to process how Joey fit into this conversation. Gordon blurted it out before wasting another moment. “I have feelings for you, Wyatt. I’ve liked you since high school but didn’t realize how I felt until you started dating Veronica.”

Wyatt flinched. Wyatt didn’t expect Gordon to confess years-long feelings or how Gordon dragged Wyatt’s relationship with Veronica. “Oh,” he whispered. “What?”

Gordon nodded. “You were so happy with Veronica, then she got pregnant, so of course I didn’t want to say anything. Then, when she passed, I didn’t want to blurt out how I felt and disrespect her memory.” Gordon closed his eyes. The words continued to fly from his mouth as nothing could stop him now that he took the opportunity to confess his feelings to Wyatt. “But I can’t keep these feelings to myself anymore. And Joey said you were open to moving on, so I wanted to let you know how I felt and see if you felt the same.”

Gordon slowly opened his eyes, fearing the worst that Wyatt might reject him.

However, Wyatt had a gentle smile on his face. It slightly relaxed Gordon’s nerves but didn’t bring him peace.

Wyatt took a deep breath. “When that demon attacked, it terrified me because I thought I lost someone else that I care for.” Wyatt smiled. “Then, when we talked, it reminded me of that day. Not in a sexual way. But how glad I was that I got to have sex with someone that I really cared for and knew cared about me.” He reached for Gordon’s hands, holding them gently. “After the pain of this last year, all I want is to be with someone who cares for me.”

“I do,” whispered Gordon.

Wyatt chuckled. “We should try dating first before exchanging wedding vows.” His bad joke made Gordon laugh, too, as Gordon noticed the connection. “But...I’m open to seeing what happens. Like going out on a proper date.”

Gordon nodded. His heart fluttered now that he had his chance to see if a relationship between them could work. “Yeah. A real date.” Gordon grinned. “We can take things as slowly as you want. Especially because of Selena. I want to respect you both and Veronica.”

“Then, we go slow.” Wyatt sighed. “I guess we can talk more tomorrow? And set up a date?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Wyatt continued holding Gordon’s hand as he led him out the door. “It’s getting pretty late. I’ll walk you out.” 

Gordon squeezed Wyatt’s hand, thrilled that he finally took the chance to tell Wyatt how he felt. Now, Gordon could leave the rest to fate if they stood a chance at having a future together.


	33. Ghost of Husband Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I managed to keep the story's update schedule even with all the work, fun, and travel I did. Yay me! We'll see how next week goes. 
> 
> Also, we have a special guest demon in this chapter. And there's a sex scene in the last scene with a big surprise!
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

An outdoor September wedding proved quite stunning. The ceremony finished as the guests relocated from the chapel to the reception set up around the garden. Several large white canopies provided shelter for the guests, while everyone appeared well-decorated with white and yellow lilies. 

It felt like the gag of the season for Chris that he got the wedding gig. He snagged Aisha Valentine as a client and worked as the primary wedding photographer. Although Aisha hired two other photographers, Chris was responsible for taking the photos of Aisha’s wedding party. 

Chris brought Bianca and PJ with him to work as his crew to ensure that nothing went wrong. They helped in managing the equipment so that he could set up the perfect shots. If the job went well, Chris could not only guarantee Aisha rehiring him for future gigs, but all her society friends would want to hire him. 

So far, everything went well. Chris finished snagging a few more photos of the best man and maid of honor before letting them return to their table. The guests sat at the tables, enjoying the elegant lunch.

“I think we’re good.” Chris slung the camera around his neck. The strap tugged on his shirt and vest as he made sure to dress elegantly for the wedding, so did Bianca and PJ as they wore cute pantsuits. “We should move everything toward the dance floor. Aisha doesn’t want photos of people eating.”

PJ grabbed the reflector. “Do we get to eat too? Or are the help expected to starve?”

Bianca pointed towards the caterers. “We get a small plate, and we have to eat fast.”

“I can do that!” PJ followed Chris and Bianca towards the dance floor. They began to re-setup the equipment for the dance photos. In the lull, PJ could enjoy the stunning view. “Everything is so pretty. Does it give you any ideas for your wedding?”

“Ha!” Bianca helped Chris rebuild the lighting equipment. “Like we’d want anything this ostentatious. Or to fork over the money.”

PJ squinted her eyes. “I thought you were super-rich?”

Bianca nodded. “My family is, but this wedding is still too tacky for me. I’m not wasting that money. We’ll do something much smaller.”

PJ gasped. “So you do have some ideas? Have you considered an outdoor or indoor wedding yet? Big or small wedding? What kind of cake you’ll have?”

Chris rolled his eyes. The temporary calm he had of no one pestering him about the wedding plans returned with a vengeance. He should’ve known better than to hire PJ to help. “Worry less about our wedding, PJ. Focus on making sure we get great photos for this one!”

PJ left the reflector on its pedestal as she crossed her arms. “You’re no fun, Chris!” She pointed across the garden to a bronze-skinned man in a pink suit that walked around with a clipboard. “Enrique is right there! You have a wedding planner that can help you move the ball. And, in case you forgot, we’re in the middle of the apocalypse. You need to move forward with the wedding plans before my satanic half-brother destroys the world.” PJ huffed as she muttered that she would get her plate while they still had the time.

“She’s right.” Bianca grabbed Chris’s arm as she positioned them so that they saw Aisha and her now-husband. Bianca smiled. “The clock is ticking. If we don’t move forward, then Seth might end the world before we get the chance to recite our vows.”

“You’re right.” Chris sighed. “I did say we can start planning once we finished this gig. Let’s start looking up wedding planners tomorrow.” 

Bianca nodded. “I’ll ask Enrique for his card and recommendations.”

“Good.” Chris kissed Bianca’s cheek. “I’ll get some more photos of Aisha and Steven.”

*~*

It took a while, but Wyatt and Gordon’s schedules finally aligned so that they could go out on a proper date. Alessandro and Cristina took Selena for the weekend, which meant Wyatt could have a stress free weekend. And Gordon’s school work lightened up enough that he didn’t need to worry over papers or studying.  
  
Gordon picked Wyatt up, and they made their way to the aquarium. They held hands as they walked down the exhibit, finding much of the aquarium surprisingly empty. However, they didn’t mind. They enjoyed the lack of a crowd as it meant that they had more privacy to enjoy each other’s company. 

Wyatt squeezed Gordon’s hand as they turned the corner to see a tank of octopuses. They watched as the octopuses swam without a care in the world. “You know, the last time I think I went to an aquarium was in tenth grade for the field trip with Mrs. Ali.”

“I remember that!” Gordon chuckled. “Aw, I miss Mrs. Ali’s class. She was such a fun teacher.” Gordon stuffed his free hand into his pocket. “She almost made me want to become a marine biologist.”

“Then, you became a drummer. Or...tried to, at least. Now, you’re doing IT.”

Gordon playfully shoved Wyatt. “Says the guitarist turned mechanic. You have no business judging me.”

“I’m not judging.” Wyatt chuckled. “I’m just stating a fact. Things turned out different than high school us thought it would.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Are you having regrets?”

Wyatt shook his head. “Not regret. I’m happy with my life, but I am still wondering what things could’ve been like. Like what if Dying Liberty made it.” Wyatt tried to imagine how life would’ve looked for him. He would’ve loved to get paid for playing music, but so many things would’ve had to change for that to happen. “I can see a lot of controversies, especially if it got out that I did sex work and I’m a witch. And, I probably would’ve never met Veronica...or had Selena.”

Gordon squeezed Wyatt’s hand. Gordon scooted a little closer while the octopuses continued swimming in blissful ignorance. “Maybe we’d have a Fleetwood Mac situation between you and me. I might’ve had the courage to ask you out sooner.”

“Then, we’d have a horrible breakup that would kill the band.” Wyatt leaned his head on Gordon’s shoulder. The dimly lit exhibit and speaking on a possible future oddly enough soothed Wyatt’s troubled mind. “Maybe this is the better timeline.”

“It’s not so bad.” Gordon leaned his head against Wyatt’s head. 

However, the precious moment would get ruined. Black orbs materialized behind them as a silver-haired Darklighter appeared. A puff of smoke blew across the Darklighter’s arm. He conjured a crossbow that he aimed for Wyatt. 

Gordon gasped. He saw the Darklighter’s reflection against the octopuses’ tank. “Look out!” Gordon grabbed Wyatt and shoved them to the ground. The Darklighter’s arrow sailed across the exhibit and narrowly missed Wyatt but grazed Gordon’s arm.

Luckily, the arrow struck the railing surrounding the tank and not the tank itself.

Wyatt’s head banged the ground, but better the floor then getting struck with a Darklighter’s arrow. Wyatt glanced at Gordon to see that Gordon’s necklace didn’t protect Gordon this time. Unfortunately, Wyatt didn’t have time to fret why the necklace didn’t shield Gordon or provide healing for the bleeding cut as the Darklighter prepared for another attack.

The Darklighter reloaded another venomous arrow. Wyatt positioned his hand towards the tank’s railing. “Arrow!” Wyatt’s light-blue orbs surrounded the arrow as he sent the arrow sailing after the Darklighter. The arrow struck the Darklighter’s heart, causing him to explode in dozens of dark orbs as his screams echoed across the exhibit. 

Wyatt breathed a heavy sigh. He turned back to Gordon, who took heavy breaths. The Darklighter’s poison wouldn’t harm Gordon, but the shock of the attack would leave far more psychological scars. Wyatt dreaded where his mind went as he realized that Gordon risked his life for the second time to protect Wyatt from a demon. 

Golden light beamed from Wyatt’s hand as he healed Gordon’s cut. Wyatt maintained the illusion of calm to mask his thoughts of seeing Gordon dead. “Lucky for you,” Wyatt said, distracting himself, “that a Darklighter’s poison only affects Whitelighters. It’s harmless to everyone else but fatal to someone like me.”

Gordon nodded. “Then, it’s a good thing that I saw the bastard.” Gordon flinched as the lingering pain of the cut still stung even as Wyatt finished the healing. Gordon rubbed his finger against the skin and his torn shirt. “That’s another shirt I’ll need to replace. But at least I don’t have a scar.” Gordon smiled as he noticed the tears welling up in Wyatt’s eyes. Gordon could tell that Wyatt felt horrible, so Gordon would try to reach out. “Can I at least get a kiss for rescuing the beautiful Whitelighter from certain doom?”

Wyatt couldn’t help but giggle. For a split second, Wyatt forgot the danger he brought to Gordon’s life. Wyatt leaned in close and placed a gentle kiss over Gordon’s lips. Gordon squeezed Wyatt’s hand as he pressed his lips back. The kiss didn’t get any deeper, but they stood in place as they shared a proper kiss for the first time since their high school hook up.

Wyatt pulled back and licked his lips. He could taste Gordon’s raspberry lip balm. “My hero. Thank you for saving me.”

“Anytime, princess!” Gordon started to pull himself to his feet. 

Wyatt grazed his fingers against Gordon’s necklace. He kept trying to suppress the thoughts of Gordon dying to focus on the necklace itself. “It didn’t protect you this time. I wonder why?”

Gordon touched his necklace too. “Maybe it’s out of mojo?”

“Maybe.” Wyatt focused on the Buddhist symbols. He knew next to nothing about Buddhism, and the Book of Shadows didn’t have anything that could help. “We should look into your necklace. I think I know someone who can help. If you’re up for taking our date to Chinatown.” 

Gordon laughed as he tried to keep the flames of the date burning. “Is this your way of asking me out for dinner?”

“How about we do dinner after we find out what’s going on with the necklace.”

“Deal!”

*~*

Crowding the tiny apartment, Joey and Carver invited Paulina and Tamora over for lunch. They had takeout containers of Thai food scattered across the coffee table. Their plates stacked with all the delicious food.

Joey shoved a forkful of pineapple fried rice into his mouth while he sat on the floor next to Carver. “Any plans for tonight? Are you wild women going to some hip party?”

Tamora chuckled. “A hip party? No.” She grabbed a spring roll from a container. “But I did get accepted into the artist collective, and they’re meeting tonight. Maybe I’ll learn how to make a sculpture as elegant as David.”

“Or do a lot of drugs.” Paulina smirked as Tamora appeared offended. They knew enough about artists and their drug histories to think something like that could happen. Tamora muttered how she wouldn’t do drugs, not that it sounded compelling. “Just call one of us if you end up taking something.” Paulina scooped some more green curry over her rice. “As for me, I got nothing planned. I’ll probably stay at home and read a book.”

“So just like every other day.” Tamora rolled her eyes. “You really need to get away from the books and out of the library, Polly. Live a little.”

Paulina tried to mutter a defense, but Joey and Carver didn’t see how she could. Paulina spent hours volunteering at the Magic School library, she always had a book with her, and she majored in Library Sciences. They spent years trying to get Paulina out of her bookish bubble with almost no success. 

Carver shrugged. He didn’t have much say in anything since it wasn’t like he was married into the family or knew Paulina for that long. “You could always join a book club. That way, you can hang out with more people.” 

“A book club doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” said Paulina.

Tamora groaned. “Don’t encourage her addiction.”

Before Joey could pile on, he heard his phone ring. He checked to see an e-mail notification that left him jaw-dropped. He had to read it three times to make sure he read it right. “The lifestyles editor at the _New York Times_ read my blog. And he wants me to publish an article with them!”

“That’s great!” said Carver.

Paulina squinted her eyes. “Are you trying to become the new ‘Ask Phoebe’?”

Joey chuckled while dancing on the floor. He dropped his phone next to him. “No, nothing like that. It’s a freelancing thing. And he wants me to write on queer witchcraft.” 

Tamora nodded. “Well, look at you! Mr. Gay-Witch is going to educate all the children.” 

Carver leaned over and kissed Joey’s cheek. “Congrats, babe. You’re finally getting some attention.”

Joey smiled as he kissed Carver back, tasting the curry on Carver’s lips. “I could always use some more attention.” They kissed again while Tamora and Paulina gagged.

“Get a room!” shouted Paulina. 

“Yeah!” shouted Tamora. “Dirty sinners! Kissing like that and you’re not even married.”

Carver laughed. He pulled away from Joey so that he could return to his food. “Don’t rush us into anything. Let us enjoy living in sin!”

Joey nodded. He ate another forkful of fried rice when his brain started buzzing at the thought of marriage. His eyes darted to Carver. They had discussed it before as something they were open to the idea of but hadn’t gone much further. Glancing at his phone and thinking on the state of the world, Joey wondered if maybe they should go through with it.

“If you’re going to do it, then do it now!” said Tamora.

Joey snapped himself away from his thoughts. “What?”

Tamora pointed at Joey’s phone. “Go ahead and respond to the editor. Tell them you’ll take the gig. And become the next great writer.”

Paulina nodded. “Yeah! You can be the next Hemingway!”

Joey groaned when Paulina mentioned Hemingway. “I fucking hate Hemingway!”

“Then, you can become the next Oscar Wilde,” said Carver, which immediately brightened Joey’s day.

*~*

In the parlor of the Hellfire Club’s mansion, Abigor kept a hand on Soulbane’s handle while he walked in front of a group of Darklighters. The Darklighters kept their heads down and dared not to make the slightest moves for fear of risking Abigor striking them down. It wouldn’t be the first time that Abigor punished a demon for the failures of another, as his knightly training made it clear that the shortcomings of one represented the failures of all. 

“Did you forget your purpose?” roared Abigor. “To kill Whitelighters! To eliminate the angels and stop the spread of goodness!”

“No, sir!” said the Darklighters.

Abigor squeezed onto Soulbane’s handle. “Yet Wyatt Halliwell escaped an attack unharmed. He even vanquished one of your comrades. How does that reflect your mission?”

“Poorly!”

“Indeed.” Abigor drew Soulbane from its sheath. The Darklighters flinched as they heard the echoes of the sword. 

Before Abigor could kill any of the Darklighters, Azazel entered the parlor. Azazel chuckled as he waved his wrist, prompting Abigor to lower his arm. “Calm, Abigor. You should’ve known better than to send one Darklighter to kill a Charmed One.” Azazel crossed his arms. He stared at the Darklighters, chuckling at their terror. “Besides, you know that we’re not looking to kill the Charmed Ones. Yet.”

Abigor returned Soulbane to its sheath. “Right. Seth wants to kill them himself.”

Azazel nodded. He snapped his fingers. The ringing made the Darklighters rise to their feet as they awaited their orders. “Return to your mission. Eliminate Whitelighters, but not the Halliwells. However, do leave them scared.”

“Yes, sir!” The Darklighters vanished in swirls of black orbs. 

Azazel turned to Abigor. He cupped Abigor’s face with a malicious grin spreading across his face. “You know that we need these demons alive still. They need to keep the Charmed Ones distracted and spread enough chaos while we focus our attention on Neferica.” Azazel playfully smacked Abigor’s face. “Now, come help me. We have another temple to destroy.”

Abigor ignored the sting on his cheek as he followed Azazel to an unknown destination to fulfill their mission.

*~*

Steam wafted from the teacups to the air. Wyatt and Gordon sat in An Ling’s shop’s back office as she carefully examined Gordon’s necklace. As a Zen Master, An Ling had enough knowledge of Buddhism that Wyatt figured she could uncover the necklace’s secrets. 

An Ling traced her thumb against the corners of the necklace. “Interesting. I can detect some lingering magic, but it appears like whatever power it had is gone.” An Ling placed the necklace on the desk. She pointed at the umbrella. “In Buddhism, the parasol is a symbol of protection from suffering and destructive forces. My best guess is that the necklace is specifically meant to protect against harm since it wasn’t activated until a demon attacked Gordon.”

Wyatt shook his head. “The demon didn’t attack Gordon. Gordon threw himself to protect me from the demon.”

Gordon smiled. Before he could speak on how he gladly risked his safety for Wyatt, An Ling mentioned that it didn’t matter. “The necklace had a specific enchantment.” An Ling pointed at the other runes drawn around the necklace. “These other runes are different. They hold far more power, likely being the source of the magic.” An Ling glanced at Gordon. “You said that your grandmother gave it to your father, right?”

“Yeah.” Gordon nodded. “My grandparents were practicing Buddhists in China. They fled for the country not long after the Communist Revolution began. My dad never mentioned if they were witches or something like that.”

“They most likely weren’t,” said An Ling, “but they may have encountered a witch or a shaman who could create such an enchantment. And since it didn’t protect you today, it is likely that this necklace protected your family from many threats or only had enough energy to shield you from a single threat.” She glanced at Wyatt. “I’m sure if you and your brothers could recharge the necklace and give Gordon proper protection with your magic.”

Wyatt watched as Gordon started putting the necklace on. He stared at Gordon’s torn sleeve and recalled the Darklighter attack from earlier. “Right. I’ll make the call later.” Wyatt’s mind buzzed as he feared what would’ve happened if it was a demon or a warlock instead of a Darklighter. Gordon would’ve had no protection and died on the spot. 

Wyatt dug his nails into his palm. He turned to An Ling. “Thank you for helping us, An. Um...do you have anything we can use for now to protect Gordon? At least until I can get my brothers.”

“Nothing as potent as that necklace, but I do have some herbs that ward away evil.” An Ling got up from her chair and walked back to the storefront. “I have plenty of stock. Just let it soak in your tea for a few minutes, and it should do the trick.”

“Thank you,” said Gordon.

“My pleasure!”

Gordon turned so that he could properly face Wyatt. He leaned a little closer. “Why are you concerned? Are you expecting another demon attack in the next hour or so? Or are you that scared for my general safety.”

Wyatt bit his lip. “A Darklighter attack is never that random. It’s always better coordinated, which means another is coming. Besides, you already got hurt once. I don’t want to risk your safety again.”

Gordon could hear the truth behind Wyatt’s words. Despite speaking in such broad terms, Gordon knew that Wyatt meant something far more traumatic. Even though Veronica died of natural causes, Wyatt’s mind was far too hardwired to panic over losing someone close to his heart. Gordon nodded, humoring Wyatt’s hidden words. “Okay. I’ll be extra careful too. I won’t dive headfirst into danger.”

“That’ll help.” Wyatt smiled as An Ling returned with the herbs.

*~*

Phoebe knew that this plan was probably the dumbest one she ever thought up. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. The Hellfire Club and her demonic-reincarnated son made them far more desperate than imaginable. And after hearing that Seth almost killed Piper and that the Source Vanquishing Spell proved ineffective against him, Phoebe knew that they had to try something else. With the condo empty as Coop left for Cupid work while the girls were at school, Phoebe took advantage of the quiet.

Five white candles burned on the floor, positioned in a circle. As a precaution, Phoebe also brought a set of crystals to construct a crystal cage. She could see this plan failing miserably, but it could yield some results that they needed. 

Phoebe took a deep breath. She grabbed a wedding ring from her pocket, the very ring that she wore when she married Cole. She placed the ring inside the circle before stepping back to recite the spell. “Hear these words. _Hear my cry. Spirit from beyond time and space, I call you here. Spirit from oblivion, enter now this place._ ” Phoebe closed her eyes. “ _Cole Turner, I summon you._ ”

A low mist arose from the ground, covering the wedding ring. The candles lost their flame and the crystals hummed with energy.

Slowly, a figure in a black suit arose from the smoke. Phoebe clenched her fists, bracing herself for the worst. The smoke faded as the figure of Cole Turner became perfectly visible. He towered over Phoebe and stared at her with his piercing green eyes. Even though he remained dead, Phoebe could practically smell his musky scent and the Dior cologne he always wore, but also smelt the hint of sulfur.

Cole appeared puzzled at first but soon played it cool. He grinned as he crossed his arms. “Phoebe.” He spoke in his deep, husky voice. “Well, this is a surprise. Here I thought you were content in letting me rot in solitude for eternity.”

Phoebe maintained her focus. She didn’t know how far to trust Cole, especially after he burned her so many times. She needed to maintain control of the situation because Cole could easily turn this summoning into his resurrection. “Don’t worry; you can go back to oblivion when we’re done. However, I need you right now.”

Cole chuckled as he looked to the wall of photographs behind Phoebe. He saw the assorted pictures of Phoebe’s family. His gaze naturally focused on the wedding photo of Phoebe with Coop. “I take it Coop isn’t doing it for you anymore?”

“My marriage is perfect.” Phoebe fought to keep her calm. She couldn’t let Cole see how easily he got under her skin. “Not that I want to know how you know Coop’s name.” However, it did prove worrisome. Phoebe recalled what Piper said about Cole helping when Piper almost died, but it didn’t make Phoebe feel comfortable that Cole was aware of their lives. “But if you’ve been keeping an eye on me, then you know why I summoned you. Our son.”

The calm that Cole projected disappeared. His posture relaxed, and he uncrossed his arms. A heavy sigh escaped him. “Seth. I’m well aware.” Cole shook his head. “I can’t help you vanquish him if that’s what you want.”

Phoebe glanced at the crystals, preparing to trigger them as she didn’t like Cole’s immediate hesitancy. “Why? Is that your way of saying you’re helping Seth?”

“No. No.” Cole closed his eyes and sighed once more. “I mean that I’ll only make it worse. Like I did before.”

“Before?” Phoebe squinted her eyes. “Did you already talk to Seth?”

Cole nodded. “Before he went after your family, I could sense Seth’s pain. His despair.” Cole paced within the circle. He knew that as a spirit, he couldn’t move that much without triggering the crystal cage. He didn’t feel like getting shocked since that hurt far more as a spirit than it did as a living body. “I tried reaching out to Seth when he was still a boy. I wanted to protect him from repeating my mistakes. To keep him from falling down the path of evil. The path to the Source.”

Cole looked down, noticing the ring. He almost laughed that Phoebe kept the ring as he expected her to throw it into the ocean. However, he ignored that bit of amusement to focus on Seth’s story. “It appears that the Source and the Seer’s influence proved far too great. Nothing I said could sway Seth from going down this path. It only made him angrier.”

Phoebe sighed. “I noticed. The one time I tried to reason with him, it only made things worse.”

“There’s only evil in that boy,” said Cole. “Pure evil.”

“Gee. I wonder where he got that from.”

Cole chuckled. “I deserve that. I deserve worse.” Cole stepped to the edge of the circle. He dared not to take a step further without risking the cage forming. “There is no saving Seth. Just like there was no saving me. And now he’s as indestructible as I was.” 

Phoebe knew that. She feared as much, but hearing it from Cole sent shivers down her spine. “Then how do we vanquish him?”

“Find a way to separate Seth from the powers he’s collected. If he loses the Source and the Cleaners’ powers, then there’s a chance. If there’s a spell or potion that can do it, or if you can trick him into abusing his reality-warping powers as I did, then our nephews can vanquish him.”

“My nephews,” corrected Phoebe.

Cole pointed at the ring. “We were married. They’re technically my nephews too.”

Phoebe groaned. But she had to admit that Cole did have a good suggestion. Now, they’d have to begin the struggle of executing such a plan.

*~*

Tamora packed up everything as she started leaving the library. She could’ve studied at home but decided to chill at the library where she had a little more peace and sometimes less chaos. And it would let her to get plenty of uninterrupted study time before her meeting with the artist collective tonight. And since she still had to go to school, she went the trade school route like Wyatt to study web design like Jessica. Plus, Tamora knew she could use that web design experience to help her score other gigs, like when Chris paid her to design his photography website.

Free from the library’s confines, Tamora searched for a quiet spot to orb. Even with magic exposed, the built-in habit of keeping magic’s screwed still guided her action. Besides, she didn’t want to get outed as a witch and Whitelighter. 

However, the Whitelighter blood in Tamora would attract unwanted attention. As she went to an empty walkway between buildings, a whistling sound echoed across the air. The sound startled Tamora, and when she turned to find out where the sound came from, something sharp struck her arm. Then, an immediate burning sensation spread across her body that made her collapse to her hands and knees. 

It felt like somebody set Tamora on fire. Her vision began to blur but remained consistent enough to see her bleeding arm and an arrow on the ground. She looked to see a dark-suited man approaching her with a crossbow in hand.

“Darklighter,” Tamora muttered. 

The Darklighter smiled. He raised his crossbow with another arrow appearing. “It’s nothing personal, little Whitelighter. I’m only following orders.”

Before the Darklighter could attack again, Tamora waved her hand. The poison didn’t disrupt her powers, yet so she managed to freeze him. However, she could tell that the freeze wouldn’t last long, and she couldn’t trust her powers to orb to safety. 

Tamora’s breathing grew heavier as she tilted towards the edge of passing out. “Brody. Brody!” She mumbled. “Brody, help me.”

Light-blue orbs gathered as Brody appeared. His eyes widened as he saw the blood, then noticed the frozen Darklighter. “Shit! Tamora!” Brody rushed to grab Tamora and flee. It proved far too dangerous to heal her now as the Darklighter slowly began to move. 

Brody began orbing them to safety as the Darklighter freed himself from the freeze. The Darklighter saw Brody and aimed for him, only for Brody to orb them away. The arrow bounced across the ground as it missed the intended target.

The Darklighter shook his head, but he didn’t fret over their escape. “We’ll get you soon, Whitelighters. There is nowhere you can hide where we can’t find you.”

Black orbs surrounded the Darklighter as he prepared for the next attack.

*~*

The conversation that Wyatt and Gordon had with An Ling continued to replay itself in Wyatt’s head. Wyatt avoided touching Gordon as they drove back to the manor. They decided to call the date off early, given all the drama from today. However, as Gordon walked Wyatt to the front door, Wyatt picked up on something being not quite right.

Wyatt opened the door with Gordon following him into the living room only to find a bleeding Tamora on the sofa. Brody healed Tamora while Bianca stood guard with an athame in hand. 

Wyatt squinted his eyes. “What the fuck happened?”

Bianca lowered the athame. “A Darklighter attacked Tamora. Brody brought Tamora here and called us for help. Chris left to get Joey and Carver, while I stuck around in case the Darklighter followed them here.”

“A Darklighter attacked you too!” Gordon stared at the sweat-covered Tamora. The poison lingered in Tamora’s system long enough to do its damage, which gave Gordon a painful impression of what it would’ve looked like if Wyatt got hit. “Dear god. Do you need anything, Tamora? Water? A cool towel?”

Tamora shook her head. She groaned as Brody finished healing her, but the pain of the poison left a throbbing pain. “I’ll be fine. I just need a couple of minutes.”

Brody turned to Wyatt. “A Darklighter attacked you too?”

“Yeah.” Wyatt leaned against the sofa. “Gordon took the arrow for me, but the necklace didn’t protect him this time. So we went to see An Ling to learn about the necklace. And it looks like it’s out of its protective magic.”

“That sucks.” Bianca patted Gordon’s arm. “Good thing you don’t have Whitelighter blood, so you’re immune to the poison.”

“Right,” Gordon said, softly. 

Light-blue orbs gathered as Chris, Joey, and Carver orbed into the manor. Joey ran to Tamora’s side as everyone else noticed that Carver changed into the Elven clothes. 

Chris kept close to Bianca as another precaution of a Darklighter attack. “Did anything happen while we were gone?”

“Not while you were gone,” said Wyatt, “but a Darklighter attacked me earlier.”

Brody shook his head. “Not just you and Tamora. The Elders noticed a strange uptick in Darklighters attacking Whitelighters. It’s almost like the attacks are better coordinated, but if they’re going after you too.”

Joey held Tamora’s hand as he anticipated Brody’s conclusion. “It screams that the Hellfire Club is involved. They’re likely orchestrating the attacks. Like they did when they sent the demons to attack during Selena’s birthday party.”

“What for?” asked Tamora.

Carver shrugged. “For their master plan. Whatever that is.”

As they discussed their options for protecting the Whitelighters in the family, Gordon happened to turn to the doorway when he noticed black orbs gathering. The Darklighter that attacked Tamora earlier appeared and aimed his crossbow at Wyatt.

Gordon covered Wyatt. “Wyatt! Darklighter!”

Wyatt wrapped an arm around Gordon and shifted their position. The arrow came sailing for them when Wyatt flicked his hand and froze the arrow before it reached them. Chris swung his hand and sent the arrow back at the Darklighter, vanquishing him.

Wyatt stared at Gordon, relieved that Gordon didn’t get hurt again. “I thought you promised not to jump in front of arrows for me.”

Gordon smiled. “Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” 

More black orbs gathered as a dozen Darklighters appeared.

“Incoming!” shouted Bianca. 

Carver howled as he shifted into his werewolf form. He launched himself into the sunroom and tackled two Darklighters to the ground. He slashed a Darklighter’s throat while sinking his fangs into the throat of another. 

Bianca kicked a crossbow out of a Darklighter’s hand before tossing an energy ball at the Darklighter’s face. She drew her athame and threw it at another Darklighter. 

Joey pushed Chris closer towards the couch. “Wyatt, shield up!” Joey shoved a Darklighter towards the wall while Wyatt created his force field. Wyatt covered Gordon, Brody, Chris, and Tamora with the bubble of pulsating blue magic. 

Joey elbowed the Darklighter’s face then took the crossbow away. He fired the arrow into the Darklighter’s chest, letting the Darklighter die. He looked over his shoulder to see that Werewolf-Carver and Bianca worked on killing the Darklighters in the sunroom. However, three more Darklighters appeared near the front door and fired their arrows at Wyatt’s force field. The arrows didn’t penetrate the barrier, but the poison did pick at Wyatt’s concentration.

Joey tossed the empty crossbow. “Leave them to me!” He gathered webs of scarlet energy around his chest. An orb of scarlet energy manifested that he kept steady. He shot the orb at the Darklighters and, luckily, without getting hit with a recoil. 

The orb exploded between the Darklighters, blasting them explosive energy that vanquished them. Meanwhile, screams came from the sunroom as Werewolf-Carver and Bianca finished off the other Darklighters.

Wyatt dropped the force field only after they assured themselves that more Darklighters wouldn’t appear. “Is everyone okay?”

Carver shifted back to human form. He sniffed the air for any traces of Darklighters. “That could’ve gone worse. It’s a good thing that Gordon saw the Darklighter coming.”

Gordon smiled from the praise. “Always happy to help!” He gently grabbed Wyatt’s hand, prompting Wyatt to look at him. “I got your back.”

Wyatt smiled even as he feared that Gordon might mean that a little too literally.

*~*

Back at the condo, Phoebe still maintained the connection with Cole’s spirit remaining in the circle. Seth’s discussion didn’t unearth any secrets that Phoebe hoped to uncover that might actually help her nephews defeat him. 

Phoebe shook her head. “There’s not some hidden weapon or spell that you know of that can help us? Anything powerful enough to hurt the Source?”

“No.” Even after being freed from the Source’s essence, Cole retained enough knowledge to know that nothing existed that would help in that respect. “The Source made sure to destroy anything like that during the war with the Gods. Short of you finding the weapon of an ancient god, then nothing could hurt Seth.”

“What of Apollo’s Bow? Or the whip that Neena gave Chris?”

Cole shook his head. “Those are powerful weapons, but not powerful enough. You would need something from a Primordial God that would rival the primordial power of the Source.” 

Phoebe stomped her foot. “Fuck! There really is no stopping him.”

“Why are you trying so hard to kill me? Wasn’t it enough to do it once before?”

Cold air blew across the condo. Even Cole shivered as his spirit felt something purely malicious that left him frightened. Cole and Phoebe turned to find Seth leaning against the sofa, a spiteful grin on his face.

Seth started approaching them. “Hello, dad. It’s good to see you outside of dreamland.” Seth wiggled his fingers. Sparks of golden energy manifested and started to flutter around Cole, destroying the crystals to prevent the crystal cage from activating. “I could fix that. You know that I have the power to resurrect you now. You can even rule this reality by my side. A real father and son dynasty.”

Seth glanced at Phoebe next. “You can join too, mom. All you need to do is renounce good again. And we can be a supremely evil family again. Doesn’t that sound lovely?”

Phoebe almost muttered her rejection of Seth’s request when Cole stepped up first. Cole stepped out of Phoebe’s summoning circle, maintaining his ghostly presence. “Enough of this, Seth!” shouted Cole. “Stop the madness. This is not what I wanted for you.”

Laughter echoed across the condo as Seth held his chest. His laughter grew louder as he stared at Cole and Phoebe. “But this is what you wanted? Do you not remember the pains you went through to make me this evil? You tricked mom into a dark wedding to pervert her magic and tie your future child to evil. I am the product of your manipulations! You cannot say that this isn’t what you wanted!”

Seth snapped his fingers. A flash of light spread across the condo as Coop, PJ, and Paulina suddenly appeared. They all showed their shock but felt nothing but fear as they realized Seth’s was the one to summon them home. Seth grinned as he summoned them here to bear witness.

Seth clenched his fist. “The only problem is you’re not the one in control, daddy.” Red energy appeared around Coop’s neck. Seth’s magic strangled Coop, prompting everyone except Cole to scream. PJ and Paulina tried to free Coop from the magic, while Phoebe watched in terror as Seth slowly killed Coop. “Now, to eliminate the problem from us being a family.”

“Stop, Seth!” screamed Phoebe. 

“No!” Seth laughed while tightening his hold on Coop’s neck. “I’m having fun killing my step-daddy.”

“Brother, stop!” screamed PJ.

The words caught Seth’s attention. Seth unclenched his fist, releasing Coop from the magic. Coop took a deep breath as he collapsed to his knees as Seth turned his attention onto PJ. “Brother?”

PJ glared at Seth while Paulina held Coop. “You’re my brother. You’re an evil miserable bastard, and I can’t wait until our cousins vanquish you!”

Seth smirked. “Still your brother, little sis. Even if I die, you’ll never erase the fact that we share the same blood.” Seth laughed as his eyes turned pitch black. He looked at Phoebe and Cole. “We’re not done yet. But I’ll let you off the hook today.” Flames covered Seth’s body as he vanished from the apartment, leaving terror behind.

Phoebe closed her eyes and covered her heart. Tears started trickling down her face. “He really is pure evil.”

Cole frowned as he nodded. “Do whatever you have to do to stop him, Phoebe. That boy cannot be allowed to live a moment longer.” Smoke covered Cole’s body as he broke the summoning spell and returned to oblivion where he belonged. 

“We will,” whispered Phoebe. 

*~*

Now that the Darklighter threat ended, Wyatt started walking Gordon back to his car. Wyatt hesitated to even touch Gordon from the lingering trauma of endangering Gordon’s life again. But it only got worse as they got a call from Phoebe that told them of Seth’s latest attack, which left everyone unsure of what to do next. As Wyatt led them outside, Gordon noticed Wyatt’s distance, which left Gordon’s heart aching after all the time he spent longing for a chance to date Wyatt.

Wyatt leaned against Piper’s car as Gordon unlocked his car. Wyatt shuffled and crossed his arms as he spoke, “I’m sorry that the date didn’t turn out as romantic as we wanted.” He started to slip back towards the manor. “I guess that一”

Gordon placed his hand over Wyatt’s mouth. Gordon smiled, hoping to break the fear that blocked Wyatt’s heart from opening up. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Wyatt. I know you’re scared of me getting involved in your magical life, but I’m not afraid. I want to take the chance on you.”

Wyatt moved Gordon’s hand. “It’s too dangerous. You keep diving into trouble, and I can’t protect you from every threat. This could end badly. It’s just too much to ask..” 

“Maybe.” Gordon gently held Wyatt’s hand. He looked Wyatt in the eye, refusing to break contact. “But you can say that about any relationship. Even if you find another witch to date, I’m sure you’ll still be afraid of them getting hurt. Don’t let this fear block you from building a healthy relationship. You deserve to find happiness.”

Wyatt sighed. “It’s a lot. I don’t know if I have it in me.”

“Then, tell me to leave.” Gordon stepped closer. Their lips nearly touched as Gordon pressed their foreheads together. “Tell me that you don’t want to give this a chance, and I’ll go. We can end it here.” Gordon closed his eyes as he poured his heart out once more. “But if any part of you wants us to work, then please speak up. I’m willing to make this work, Wyatt. I’ve waited for a long time for my chance, so I won’t give up without a fight.”

Wyatt closed his eyes too. He squeezed Gordon’s hands. He didn’t know what to say, and his heart ached from the troubling thoughts. He liked Gordon too and wanted this relationship to work, but his fears kept attacking him. He couldn’t see how this could end well. If Seth didn’t pull the trigger, then another demon could. And Wyatt didn’t know if he could handle such heartache again.

But Wyatt also didn’t want to see Gordon go without giving their relationship a fair chance.

“I want.” Wyatt sighed as he listened to gut and not his fear. “I want this to work.”

Gordon closed the gap between them. Their lips met as they exchanged a proper kiss. Gordon grew ecstatic from hearing Wyatt putting up a fight, while Wyatt’s instincts took hold. Wyatt wrapped his arms around Gordon and pulled him close, deepening the kiss as he finally lowered his guard. 

And even as Wyatt feared the worst, Wyatt also hoped for the best. He wanted things to work out between him and Gordon. He wanted love back in his life.

*~*

Gasps echoed in the bedroom with the smell of sweat and sex lingering in the air. 

The Darklighters and Seth’s attack created so much fear that no one knew how to keep themselves safe. However, it was in this fear that Joey and Carver did the one thing they could do. Whenever they fell into this despair, they turned to sex. The intimacy allowed them a distraction from their worldly fears, but it also allowed them to deepen their connection as a couple. All of which usually made them feel better.

Joey laid on his back while Carver thrust his dick inside of Joey. Carver pushed deep enough to make Joey see stars from the tension against his prostate. Joey dug his nails into Carver’s back and wrapped his legs around Carver’s waist. The close contact made a low growl escape from Carver’s mouth as they locked eyes. 

After all this time, Joey no longer worried over Carver possibly shifting during sex. It allowed them to act riskier. Carver had control over his wolf, and the wolf loved Joey too, so neither would risk Joey’s safety, which allowed Joey to show his more submissive side.

Carver pressed his weight on Joey, continuing the steady pounding. He moaned as he felt Joey’s ass squeeze around his dick. Meanwhile, Carver’s thick chest hair started stroking Joey’s dick too. The added sensation made Joey’s toes curl as Joey’s cum coated their chests. Joey muttered nonsense while he buried his face against Carver’s shoulder. 

Carver bit Joey’s lip. His thrusting lost the steady rhythm as he went faster and neared climax. “I’m close.”

“Me too,” moaned Joey. He pulled Carver closer to feel Carer’s full bodyweight. “Fuck! I love you. I love you, Carver!”

“I love you too, Joey!” Carver moaned as he started to orgasm. He released a thick and hard load inside of Joey. 

Joey squeezed Carver’s arms and had a drier orgasm as he already blew his load. His muscles relaxed as Carver slowly pulled out; a mix of semen and lube leaked out while their bodies molded closer together as they began to cuddle.

The sexual heat lingered in the air as their nerves relaxed. 

Joey started rubbing Carver’s head, his delicate fingers working through Carver’s curls. Carver moaned as he laid his face against Joey’s chest. It made Joey chuckle. “This is perfect,” he whispered. “Even with all the craziness. Even with Seth trying to kill us all. Being here with you is perfect.”

Carver rolled off Joey and gently stroked his chin. “I feel the same. There’s no place I’d rather be than here with you. Or anywhere with you. All I need is you.”

“All we need is each other.” Joey leaned up so that he could kiss Carver. However, Joey’s mind did a little drifting even after the fantastic sex. His mind took him back to lunch with Tamora and Paulina, and how he confused Tamora’s encouragement for emailing the editor with getting married. And given everything that’s happened and their previous conversations, Joey could see marriage happening.

Joey wanted it to happen.

Covered in sweat and cum, with lube and his boyfriend’s load leaking from him, Joey decided to take the plunge. He broke the kiss but kept his lips hovering close. “Marry me.”

Carver tried kissing Joey again only to realize what Joey asked. Carver pulled away and stared at Joey, jaw dropped. “Did. Did you ask me to marry you?”

“Yes. I did.” Joey smiled, shocked at himself for being so bold. However, Joey couldn’t see himself taking the chance with anyone else. “Will you marry me, Carver Obeidallah? And Wolfy, will you marry me?”

The words echoed in Carver’s head. His wolf growled and ripped at him to act. Carver chuckled a little as he held Joey’s hand. “Yes. I’ll marry you, Joseph Halliwell.” They embraced, their laughter echoing. Joey cried a little, while Carver’s wolf wanted to howl from excitement. It took all the control that Carver had not to howl since that would piss off their neighbors. 

They kissed once more, exhilarated from the joy of their engagement. 

Carver pulled away a little but kept smiling. His focus drifted from pure joy to noticing a sticky situation. He felt the cum and lube on his thigh. “We should get cleaned up. May I have the pleasure of washing you, my beautiful fiancé?” 

Joey chuckled as he started to get out of the bed. “You may, my beautiful fiancé.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eep! That's right. Joey's putting a ring on Carver! Now, the big question is if their engagement is going down Chris and Bianca's route or if the gays will do it better.


	34. Courthouse Matrimony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, wonderful readers! Get ready to read another fun chapter, but we'll also get some bombshells dropped with a very special character returning. Now, another heads up. These next couple of chapters are going to focus more on the Charmed cousins because they'll play important roles during the final battles. 
> 
> Also, the first scene is a sex scene.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

“Fuck me!” Wyatt buried his face into Gordon’s pillow as he let out deep moans. Sweat trickled down Wyatt’s body and his ass clenched up around Gordon’s penis. Wyatt dug his fingers into the bedsheets while feeling and hearing the echoing that Gordon’s thrusts caused against his ass.

Once more, Wyatt took advantage of the grandparents for the weekend as his parents, Alessandro, and Cristina took Selena out to the zoo. It meant that Wyatt could go out with Gordon, but this time, their date turned into a sex date at the old apartment. The anxieties Wyatt had over Gordon’s mortality gradually dissipated, replaced now with intense feelings of lust. 

They lost track of how long they went at it. They barely made it into the apartment before ripping at each other’s clothes. 

Gordon wound his fingers around Wyatt’s hair, tugging him up. Wyatt moaned again while Gordon picked up the pace. “You like that, bitch?” The husky tone behind Gordon’s voice made Wyatt’s toes curl. Wyatt licked his lips as he begged for Gordon to go harder.

Wyatt started rocking his hips to meet with Gordon’s thrusts and grind against Gordon’s abs. Their skin slapped, which created more erotic sounds and added to the lust in the air. “Fuck me harder, daddy!” Wyatt slipped a hand underneath to stroke himself, while Gordon went faster, showing little mercy. While not the first time he had sex since Veronica died, Wyatt couldn’t remember the last time he had sex this good. And even the many times that Veronica pegged him, Wyatt missed having a real dick inside him.

“I’m cumming!” groaned Gordon. 

“Do it! Shoot!” Wyatt moaned as he started jerking himself faster as he felt Gordon cumming inside the condom. Gordon stopped moving and leaned against Wyatt’s back, while Wyatt kept stroking until he shot his load on the bed. 

Their breathing relaxed as they swam on the post-sex high. Wyatt twisted his head so that he could kiss Gordon. Their tongues slid against each other, reigniting the heat to where they almost started having sex again when a heavy pounding came from the door. 

Wyatt and Gordon panicked. They had the apartment to themselves when they first arrived, but Steve and Vinnie could’ve easily came home while they were fucking. Wyatt and Gordon got to moving. Gordon took the condom off and tossed it into a trash bin as they started to slide their underwear on but realized they didn’t bring the clothes inside the bedroom. 

“Shit,” they whispered.

They made their way outside to find Steve and Vinnie holding their clothes. Steve and Vinnie weren’t that shocked since they knew that Wyatt and Gordon started dating, so they knew sex would happen eventually.

Vinnie had his phone out. He glanced at the timer on the screen then nodded. “Good job, Wyatt! We missed the opening act, but from when we came inside, you clocked in at twenty minutes.”

Gordon grabbed his clothes from Vinnie, muttering how embarrassed he felt. 

However, Wyatt didn’t let it bother him. His former roommates caught him having sex before. “I wasn’t on top. Gordon was.” Wyatt took his clothes from Steve. He started to put his shirt on; his chest bounced a little as he began to lose muscle and put on a little bit of a dad bod. While demon-fighting and mechanic work burned plenty of calories, he also had less time to properly exercise and eat healthy because of taking care of Selena full-time. 

Steve applauded. “Really, Gordo? I never knew you had such a sexual beast inside you.”

“Oh, god!” Gordon blushed as he put his shirt on to cover his flat stomach. While not as fist as Steve and Vinnie, Gordon’s body was worth a second glance. 

“That’s what you made Wyatt say!” Vinnie patted Gordon’s back. He winked at them and clicked his tongue. “So, now that you two are finally fucking, does this mean we can expect to see more of Wyatt around? And not just naked Wyatt.”

Steve nodded. “Yeah. Maybe we can start up the band again? Get back to practicing. Do some gigs? Or are you too busy being superdad and a witch, Wy?”

Wyatt finished zipping up his pants. “I’m open to the idea of getting back to music, but life’s a little messy right now too. I’m not sure I want to jump into gigs, especially since I’m so out of practice.”

“We all are,” said Gordon. “It’ll take plenty of work to get Dying Liberty back into shape.”

“But it’ll be worth it.” Vinnie freed Gordon so that he could put his pants on. Vinnie tossed himself onto the couch and turned up the TV’s volume. “Before we get to the music, how about we do pizza, beer, and video games?”

Wyatt held Gordon’s hand as they joined Vinnie on the couch. “I like that plan.” 

*~*

Dozens of books laid scattered across Chris and Bianca’s dining room table. Hank sat with his laptop open and all his notes as he prepared for another mock trial exam. The exam frazzled his mind. He needed to review case law and tried to sort out his arguments regarding the mock case. While not specializing in property law, Hank knew that he should know his property ownership and documentation facts. 

Hank sipped his coffee, but the caffeine only made his anxiety worse. 

Chris came out of his office with a few prints from Aisha Valentine’s wedding. He left them in the kitchen as he started to pour himself some coffee when he noticed Hank’s current state. “You look like shit, bro. Are you getting any sleep?”

“Sleep? While in law school?” Hank closed his civil law textbook. It wasn’t so much a textbook but a collection of majority opinions, concurring opinions, and dissenting opinions. “I’m struggling here, Chris. I’m starting to second guess if I should even stay.”

“Of course, you should!” Chris abandoned his coffee and the photos in the kitchen. He joined Hank at the table and placed a hand on Hank’s shoulder. “This is your last year of law school! You are at the finish line. You can’t give up now.”

Hank massaged his sore forehead. “I don’t know. This isn’t how I thought things would go.”

Chris frowned. “You got this, Hank. I get how exhausting this path is, and I get the stress of things not working out how we plan. Look at me. I graduated from Berkley, and it took three years to get my photography business off the ground. But I could only pull that off because my dad got me the job at Magic School, and I’ve had Bianca’s support.”

“But I don’t have a Bianca,” said Hank.

“But you got amazing parents to help you! And a super supportive sister. That counts for something.” Chris pointed to the pile of wedding planning materials on the coffee table. “Now, look how long it took Bianca and me to get these wedding details together. You’re not the only one struggling here. But you have to remember how close you are to finishing. Don’t give up.”

Hank sighed. “Maybe. I just...I’m just not sure.”

A bright flash of light appeared in the middle of the apartment. Since no one they knew teleported in such a method, it prompted Chris and Hank into action. Electricity crackled against Chris’s fingers while Hank generated cold wind. The light dimmed out as they saw a young blonde-haired woman standing there in a multi-colored shawl.

She gasped. “My apologies! I don’t mean to frighten you or intrude, but my family is in desperate need of your help, Charmed One.” Her Danish accent became apparent as she spoke. She tightened the shawl around her body and smiled. “I’m Alma. Ogres are trying to steal my coven’s land.”

Chris squinted his eyes. The electricity faded from his fingertips. “Ogres? But Ogres are good magical beings. They can get a little aggressive, but they wouldn’t go out of their way to take someone’s land.”

Hank nodded. “They’re not colonizers.”

Alma chuckled. “The situation is tricky. I come from a coven of witches that bought the village we reside in from the Ogres over three centuries ago. Now, the Ogres are trying to take the village lands back from us.”

Chris started piecing Alma’s story. “What exactly do you want from me? Unless these Ogres are attacking you, I can’t exactly go vanquishing them.”

Alma shook her head. “No! Of course not. The Ogres are willing to listen to reason. We’ve even found a judge to help us, but we’d need someone like a Charmed One to stand in moderation.”

“A judge?” Chris smirked. He grabbed Hank’s hand. “In that case, how about we bring a lawyer too? Or a law student.” Hank’s eyes widened, horrified as he knew where Chris’s mind was leading him. “My cousin here is about to graduate from law school, so this opportunity gives him a perfect chance to test his skills! Isn’t that right?”

“Even better!” Alma ran up to them, holding onto their hands. “Please! Come with me at once. We don’t have much time!”

Alma used her magic, swallowing them in a flash of light as she transported them to her village.

*~*

Meanwhile, Joey brought Carver across the country to Miami where a paradise for the outcasts and forgotten who needed refuge from a cruel world currently resided. Euphoric whooping and music bounced across the walls while humans and magical beings partied in harmony. 

Carver stood wide-eyed as an Elf man walked a human man in a dog leash. “You sure about doing it here? This place is a bit too wild.”

Joey chuckled as he squeezed Carver’s hand. “Erotia is no more wild than Las Vegas or New Orleans. Besides, I can’t think of a better place to elope!” Joey kissed Carver. The kiss softened Carver’s nerves, allowing Carver to let go a little so he could embrace the wildness of Erotia. “Plus, eloping was your idea, remember? You didn’t want to distract from Chris and Bianca’s wedding, and you weren’t going to invite your relatives. So, eloping was the safest bet for us.”

“But you could’ve rejected it.”

“Perish the thought!” A booming voice greeted Joey and Carver. “You’re getting married here!”

Apollo emerged from the crowd carrying two shot-glasses of the intoxicating orange drink that was ambrosia. Apollo paraded around Erotia dressed in a pair of silky pink briefs that contrasted beautifully against his bronzed-skin and body glitter. He passed a glass to Joey, who gleefully accepted the ambrosia before handing the other glass to Carver, who reluctantly took it.

Apollo chuckled as he ran his finger along Carver’s jawline. “My. My. You are quite the stunning man, Mr. Obeidallah. More so then, my visions foresaw.” Apollo leaned over and kissed Carver on the lips. The kiss stunned Carver as the last thing he expected today was for a god to kiss him. However, Joey and Apollo didn’t appear phased in the slightest as they, too, exchanged a quick kiss on the lips. “And you’re looking gorgeous too, Joseph. You’ve been away for quite some time that I feared that we’d never meet again.”

Joey smiled. “Well, here we are, Apollo.” He raised the glass of ambrosia. “I take it, that means you foresaw our arrival. And why we’re here.”

“Indeed!” Apollo stroked his chin and smiled as the lights grew brighter while the music got louder. The lights and music had nothing to do with Erotia’s residents as Apollo understood that Erotia spoke directly to them. “And, not only would Erotia love to host your wedding! But I’d be honored to perform the ceremony! I haven’t conducted a wedding in centuries. Not since von Steuben and his many loverboys!”

Carver squinted his eyes. “Von Steuben? You mean the general from the American Revolution?”

Apollo paused as he needed a second to recall the title. “Yes! That one! What a horny bastard that one was. If I didn’t know better than I would’ve thought him a son of Zeus!” Apollo clasped his hands together. “Now! I’ll get everything sorted out for your wedding. Drink your ambrosia and have some fun. And, if you’re open to it, we can even celebrate your bachelor party in my bedroom.” Apollo winked at Carver, which made Carver blush. “I haven’t been with a werewolf in a century.”

Apollo vanished in a flash of light. They slowly noticed more flowers blossoming across Erotia, no doubt, a sign of Apollo’s work. 

Joey chugged the ambrosia. The familiar warmth of the gods’ preferred drink circulated across his system. “Told you this was a good idea.”

Carver stood wide-eyed and stared at the spot where Apollo stood. “A god offered to have sex with me. The same god that my fiance dated.” Carver turned to Joey. “Is that a compliment? Or his way of saying he had your first? Like a douche bag, ex-boyfriend would?”

“No. Apollo clearly wants you to get out your pants.” Joey poked at Carver’s hand and gestured to him to drink the ambrosia. “You’ll calm down once you get the ambrosia in your system. Then, you’ll free yourself of all your inhibitions.” 

“Alright.” Carver swallowed the ambrosia, and its burning warmth took hold. The hesitation that Carver felt over eloping, even though it was his idea, vanished instantly. He even felt his mind opening up to the possibility of a threesome with Apollo. 

The ambrosia worked its magic, bringing pure joy to Carver. 

Joey brought Carver to the dance floor as a funkier song started playing. It brought cheers from everyone at Erotia. More people gathered and danced. The normal lights got replaced with strobe lights and a disco ball that gave Erotia a nightclub image even as the windows showed the sunny Miami beach.

Erotia remained as much of a party and refuge as ever before. Carver began to drop his guard, with even his werewolf-side enjoying the atmosphere. The music got louder, with Joey rubbing against Carver as they started making out on the dance floor. 

But a few people began to collapse all around the room without anyone noticing. Men in dark clothing carefully stabbed humans and magical beings, leaving them dead as they moved onto their next targets. They had no troubles in their operation until a Nymph noticed one of the men stabbing a Satyr and screamed. 

The screaming prompted everyone to notice the attack happening. Carver and Joey stopped making out just in time to catch one of the men lunging over to stab Joey. Joey wrapped his hands around the knife with webs of scarlet energy locked around the knife as he recognized the knife as an athame. 

Joey glared at the man. “Warlock!” He pushed the scarlet energy to blast the warlock across the room, killing the warlock upon crashing against the wall. “Everyone get back!” Joey counted at least six warlocks once people evacuated. 

Meanwhile, the shock of seeing Joey almost attacked ignited a brutal flame within Carver. He growled and immediately shifted into a werewolf. 

Werewolf-Carver lunged after the nearest warlock and ripped the warlock’s throat apart. Blood splattered everywhere as the warlock died a horrific death. A pair of warlocks tossed fireballs at Werewolf-Carver, but it did nothing to slow him down. Werewolf-Carver tackled them down and shoved his claws into their chest. 

Joey gasped as he saw the bloody carnage. The remaining warlocks began backing away while Erotia’s residents cried over their lost friends.

A blinding flash of light manifested. Apollo emerged near the warlocks, scowling. “Damn warlocks. How dare you invade our sanctuary!” He slammed his hands together. A burning wave of energy spread from him that reduced the warlocks to ash. The intensity of the heat even reached Werewolf-Carver. 

Werewolf-Carver’s eyes darkened as he glared at Apollo now. He lunged after Apollo and barred his bloody teeth. 

“No!” screamed Joey. “Carver, stop!”

Apollo snapped his fingers. Werewolf-Carver vanished with sparks of light scattered over the ground. He looked across the room at the dozen bodies on the floor. He waved his hands to remove the body and clean the blood as he knew that he’d have to make appropriate arrangements for the dead. “I should’ve seen that one coming.” He turned to his charges. “You are safe now, my children. The intruders are gone. Tend to the injured and breathe easy.”

Everyone attempted to portray the illusion of calm, but worry remained in the air.

Joey almost began to hyperventilate as he approached Apollo, terrified of what happened to Carver. “What did you do to Carver? Did you just kill him!”

Apollo shook his head. “No. I sent Carver to my room so that his wolfy side can chill.” He sighed as he scratched his head. “I should’ve known the warlocks were coming, but the Hellfire Club causing the shift in magic also affected the effectiveness of my prophecies. Still, we’ve had intruders before; it made sense that they would have appeared now too. And poor Carver. Had I known that your life was at risk, then I would’ve never offered him the ambrosia. Shame on me for not thinking things through. But it’s not like I am as wise as Athena.”

Joey smacked Apollo’s arm. “Speak English! Why is Carver going ballistic like that? He’s in control of his wolf.”

“Sorry! Carver normally is. But the ambrosia lowered his mental state, plus the trauma of seeing you attacked sent him into a frenzy. He’s not in the driver’s seat anymore. He’s going all wolf now. And it’s going to take a bit of work to get him back to normal.”

Joey resisted the urge to scream. He took a deep breath instead to calm his nerves. “It wouldn’t be a Charmed wedding without some type of drama.” He started thinking back to how Piper, Phoebe, and Paige’s weddings got sabotaged because of demons and magical mishaps. He should’ve seen something like this coming. “Okay! So how do we fix my fiance? Is it just letting him run feral for a while, or do I have to do a spell?”

Howling echoed above them while everyone froze in place as they feared what caused the sound.

Apollo gulped. “We’ll need to try something bigger.” He gently grabbed Joey’s arm and led them upstairs so that they could save Carver’s mind before the werewolf took complete control.

*~*

Wyatt orbed back to the manor after spending a few more hours with Gordon and the guys. He tossed his sweater on the coat rack when he heard Selena’s playful crying in the sunroom. He went into the sunroom to find Selena playing with the grandparents.

Selena chased after a green ball with the San Francisco zoo’s logo all over it that Leo and Alessandro would throw while Piper and Cristina took pictures. 

Wyatt crossed his arms. “Are you playing fetch with my daughter like she’s a dog?”

“No!” said Leo and Alessandro.

Selena threw the ball towards Wyatt. It didn’t bounce very far but did roll towards Wyatt’s feet. “Da-da!” Selena waddled towards Wyatt as she expected him to pick her up. 

“Baby girl!” Wyatt grabbed Selena and carried her towards the couch while he caught the ball, so no one tripped. “Did you have fun at the zoo? And did you make your grandparents spend all their money?” Selena nodded even as she didn’t understand everything that Wyatt said. 

“Be careful with that one.” Piper dropped her phone on the couch. “She ate a lot of pretzels and popcorn so she might puke.”

Wyatt gagged as he passed Selena over to Leo, who giggled. “Gross. You stuff my kid like a turkey; you’re the one that gets to deal with the cleanup.”

“Oh, she’ll be fi一” Leo paused as he felt something wet on his shoulder. They looked to find that Selena did spit up some of the food. Leo sighed. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Piper chuckled as she grabbed some tissue to wipe up some of the mess. “Come on, honey. I’ll get you both cleaned up.” Piper walked with Leo and Selena to the kitchen to clean up the throw-up.

Wyatt shook his head. He didn’t need premonitions to see that happening.

Alessandro groaned as he squeezed himself onto the sofa with Cristina. They started to flick through the pictures while mentioning how much Selena looked like Veronica. 

It made Wyatt’s heart sink. He didn’t necessarily feel guilty over dating again, but he didn’t have that conversation with Alessandro and Cristina yet. And he knew that it was something he should get ahead of before they potentially blew up at each other again.

Wyatt joined them on the couch. “Hey, guys. There’s actually something I want to talk to you about now. Something you might not like.”

Cristina gulped as she feared the worst. “You’re not moving across the country, are you? We just relocated to be closer to Selena.”

“No!” Wyatt shook his head before sighing. He tried not to fear his worst but braced himself for the drama. “I’ve started dating again. My friend and old roommate, Gordon, to be exact. We’ve been going out a few weeks now.”

“Is it serious?” Alessandro asked calmly. 

Wyatt didn’t know if Alessandro was taking this news well or only acted the part. “I don’t know yet. I could get there, but I wanted to have the talk with you before then. Especially regarding Veronica and her memory.”

Alessandro and Cristina glanced at each other. Cristina took Alessandro’s hand as she stared at Wyatt. “We knew there’s always the chance that you might meet someone else. And it’s not like we can stop you from falling in love again.”

“Or risk pissing you off.” Alessandro nervously chuckled. “We’re assuming your threat is still on the table.”

Cristina tried to pretend like Wyatt’s threat to vanquish them if they went after his custody again didn’t bother her. “But to the point, what you do with your love life is on you. All we ask is that you remember that Selena is affected by whatever choice you make and whoever you end up bringing into your life.”

Wyatt nodded. “I know that.”

“And,” said Alessandro, “we want to make sure that it doesn’t affect our time with Selena. We can keep Veronica’s memory alive.”

“You don’t have to worry about that part,” said Wyatt. “Besides, it’s not like Gordon and I can get pregnant, so it’s not like we can have a Cinderella situation.”

Alessandro and Cristina laughed. They did thank their lucky stars that Wyatt’s bisexuality could protect them from the drama of step-grandchildren and fighting for time with multiple grandparents. They got lucky that Piper and Leo proved so accommodating.

Alessandro patted Wyatt’s shoulder. “Then, you’re free to do what you want. In terms of your love life. We won’t interfere.”

“Thank you for being so understanding.” Wyatt hugged them when they heard a knock at the front door. Wyatt excused himself and left to answer the door, while Piper and Leo returned with a clean Selena.

Wyatt opened the front door to find Henrick standing on the other side.

Henrick sighed heavily, which left Wyatt nervous. “We need to talk. There’s a problem that you need to be aware of.”

“Regarding what?” asked Wyatt.

Henrick nudged his way inside the manor. “Our friends from the Hellfire Club.”

*~*

The shocking change in weather left Chris and Hank shivering as Alma brought them to a remote Scandinavian village. They crowded into a town hall where dozens of witches and Ogres gathered into the room. Even with the cold, they left the windows open to filter out the dreadful stench of the Ogres. While the Ogres did their best to clean up, it wasn’t easy to remove their natural smell. 

In the middle of the room stood a man in a navy-colored suit with salt and pepper hair. Chris and Hank got introduced to Judge Jensen, who agreed to help mediate the case. Judge Jensen kept a tissue close to his face as he never encountered the smell of Ogres before now, which would take some time to adjust.

Judge Jensen sat at a desk that the town council used, maintaining the illusion of a formal case. “These young men. I take it that they’re your representatives, Ms. Madsen?”

Alma nodded. “Yes, judge. They will represent my family in the dispute.” She gestured to Hank. “This young man will serve as our lawyer.”

Hank noticed Alma pointed at him, but he didn’t understand a word anyone said. He glanced at Chris, who quickly realized the problem. Chris didn’t have a problem understanding everyone because being a Whitelighter allowed him to speak foreign languages, but Hank didn’t have that benefit. He whispered a translation spell so that Hank could understand Danish. Chris quickly repeated everything so that Hank knew what happened. 

Understanding what happened, Hank approached the bench and extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Judge Jensen. I’m Hank Matthews-Mitchell. I’m a third-year law student at Berkeley Law School.”

“That’s a good school.” Judge Jensen shook Hank’s hand. “While you’re not a barred lawyer, I think we can work with you regarding this situation.” He glanced at the Ogres. “And for you, Mr. Ekta. Do you have any council?”

A larger, silver-haired Ogre stepped forward. “I’ll represent my people, Judge," said Ekta. "These witches violated our treaty. Therefore, we want our land back!”

“The land is ours!” shouted an auburn-haired man. “Don’t blame us because you filthy Ogres didn’t read the contract.”

Chris and Hank turned to each other as they didn’t expect things to go so far south so fast. When Hank glanced at Alma, she noticed the pitiful look she had when they first met turned to rage as she glared at the Ogres.

Hank bit his lip and whispered. “Fuck. I’m defending assholes.” 

Hank tried to play it cool. He requested to approach Judge Jensen. “Judge. What is the problem regarding this case? Alma didn’t mention a contract before.”

Judge Jensen shrugged. “Ms. Madsen’s family bought these lands from the Ogres. But now the Ogres are claiming that the Madsens violated contract’s terms for building a dam that is endangering the Ogres’ village.”

“So where’s the contract? I’d like to review it if possible.”

“The contract’s missing.”

Hank hated the thought of defending Alma’s family for treating these Ogres so horribly. But if the family didn’t violate the contract, then there wasn’t much that Hank or Judge Jensen could do to help the Ogres. However, without the contract, it wouldn’t be easy to prove either side’s case, which got Hank’s brain rolling. Since this case wasn’t an official trial, but one that involved a dispute between magical beings, Hank knew that a magical solution could serve as the key to solving things peacefully.

“I think I can remedy that, Judge. It’ll be a little unconventional.” Hank ran over to the pew that Chris sat and leaned close. “Do you remember the Lost and Found spell that Aunt Phoebe made to help your dad find Grandma Patty’s wedding ring?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“It’s our key to solving this case.”

*~*

A vicious howl shook the bedroom door. It made Joey and Apollo pause as they hesitated to confront Werewolf-Carver in this state. 

Joey gulped. “How do we bring Carver back to normal?”

“The power of love?” Apollo slowly opened the door. The howling got louder, and they heard something get smashed. “Maybe I should’ve sent him to the basement instead.” He shook his head. He reached for Joey’s shoulder, preparing to send Joey inside. “I’ll stun him, and you get to talking. Hopefully, your words will reach Carver’s consciousness.”

“Okay.”

Apollo pushed the door open. Almost immediately, Werewolf-Carver came flying after them. Luckily, Apollo’s godly reflexes outmatched Werewolf-Carver. Apollo unleashed a blast of golden light that slammed Werewolf-Carver against the wall and fell to the floor, where he remained stunned. From there, Apollo assessed the damage to the bedroom and saw that the bed and a few vases were the only mess. Werewolf-Carver didn't destroy Apollo's more valuable possessions. 

Joey closed the door as he locked himself inside with Werewolf-Carver. The last time Joey was in Apollo’s bedroom, Apollo offered the gift of immortality; now, Joey had to rescue his fiance from his werewolf frenzy. His heart hammered against his chest, which he knew Werewolf-Carver could hear. He tried to maintain his calm so as not to trigger Werewolf-Carver’s agitated state.

“Hey, Wolfy.” Joey slowly approached the stunned Werewolf-Carver. His dark eyes remained glazed over, which gave Joey some hope that he could breakthrough. “I need you to chill. Everything is fine now. As you can see, I’m okay too. The warlock didn’t hurt me.”

Werewolf-Carver attempted to growl but didn’t have the energy to lift a paw.

Joey gently stroked Werewolf-Carver’s head. He wished that he still had Sasha’s psychic abilities since that would allow him to communicate with Carver’s consciousness like when they first met. “It’s okay, Wolfy. You can relax. I’m here and safe. Nobody else is going to harm us.” He noticed Werewolf-Carver tense slightly; he hesitated from getting any closer until Werewolf-Carver gave a gentle growl. 

It seemed safe. Joey squeezed himself to sit next to Werewolf-Carver while pulling Werewolf-Carver’s heavy arm around him. Joey forced himself to behave like he would when they did their full moon campouts, even with the threat of a three-hundred-pound werewolf possibly mauling him to death. Luckily, Werewolf-Carver remained somewhat docile and didn’t growl anymore.

Joey rested his head against Werewolf-Carver’s chest. “I knew today would probably get messy, but I didn’t expect this to happen. Even with all this wolf-trouble, I want to walk down the aisle with you. Come back to me, Carver. Please.”

The glassiness faded from Werewolf-Carver’s eyes as he regained focus. He turned to Joey and pulled Joey closer. He licked Joey’s face and growled softly; then Joey kissed Werewolf-Carver’s snout. 

“Let’s get married, Carver,” whispered Joey.

Werewolf-Carver nodded. He growled, and his body began to thrash a little, while Joey slipped away, so he didn’t get hurt. A fist slammed to the ground as Carver returned to normal. Most of his clothes got torn to shreds, with the fabric of his shirt and jeans barely covering anything.

Carver groaned as he shook his head. “Ambrosia is a bad idea for werewolves.” Carver tried to laugh at the chaos he caused when Joey threw himself at him. Their lips locked. Carver pulled Joey to his chest as they fell to the ground, the kiss deepening. Their bodies pressed closely together as things finally got back on track. Carver broke the kiss; he had tears running down his face. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble, babe. I hope this doesn’t change anything.”

Joey grinned, hugging Carver tight. “Never. I love you too much to let you go.”

“Good,” whispered Carver.

They heard a brief knock before the door opened. Apollo stepped inside. He changed his briefs into an asymmetrical black skirt with a gold chain dangling around his waist. He had a shoulder cape swaying from his left shoulder and more body glitter covering his exposed chest.

Apollo smiled. “Well, you two look blissfully in love again. Just like I foresaw. I take it that you’re still ready for this wedding?” Joey and Carver turned to each other, then nodded. They wanted this wedding to happen more than anything. Apollo chuckled while he snapped his fingers. Golden sparks floated across his bed. “Then, you need to get changed. I have almost everything ready for you. Including your wedding present!”

Apollo left them alone, prompting Carver and Joey to see what ridiculous outfits that Apollo created for them. They stared at the minimal fabric and chuckled. 

Carver raised his eyebrows while he held the black and gold skirt that Apollo made for him. “I guess we’re going full Ancient Greek.” He checked to see how it would fit his waist. 

Joey had a similar skirt except in white and gold, but he also had a gold sash that would run across his chest. “This really is going to be a wedding we’ll never forget.” He kissed Carver’s cheek, affirming their decision. “Marry me?”

Carver nodded as he smacked Joey’s ass. “A million times, yes.” 

*~*

Wyatt hated allowing Henrick into the manor, but he had to respect their alliance even as Wyatt knew that Henrick would likely betray them. 

They sat in the living room with Henrick handing over a folder overfilled with documents. Wyatt glanced through what he could to see dozens of pictures and notes. The pictures illustrated various ruins and towns in some state of decay, while the notes mentioned demonic activity. 

Henrick didn’t give Wyatt the time to review everything because of the urgency in the situation. “Our agents have uncovered that the Hellfire Club is engaging in worldwide terrorism. Well, not that it should surprise you. They are demons.”

Wyatt continued to skim the folder. “But this looks different. There’s a logic to the chaos.”

“So you noticed it too.” Henrick grabbed his phone to find a video. He played the footage for Wyatt, which showed Zagon summoning gigantic spiders that would shame Australian spiders. The giant spiders swarmed a town but didn’t kill anyone; they only acted to frighten the townspeople. “The spider incident happened last week in rural Kentucky. The spiders attacked the town, but didn't kill any of the people.”

“Why, though?” Wyatt shook his head. “The Club is powerful, but this looks like a prank. How does this benefit their plans?”

“These attacks also coincide with attacks on old ruins and cultural sites,” said Henrick. “Old treasures are going missing, but the Club is also engaging in attacks like the one in Kentucky.”

Wyatt bit his lip. He began to recall the demons that attacked Selena’s birthday party and the Darklighters. The volume of demons that attacked proved different, while Wyatt also remembered that the Club paid the demons. “The Club sent demons to attack us before. And we got attacked last week by another group of demons too. A demon admitted that the Club is up to something big but wouldn’t tell us what.” Wyatt passed the folder back to Henrick. The pieces started to align in his head. “The Club is making sure we’re too distracted to keep up with what they’re doing. Your agency can monitor them, but you’re powerless against the Club. While we can fight the Club, but we can’t be everywhere at once.”

Henrick chuckled as he saw the logic too. “Divide and conquer. The Club knows our weaknesses and strengths, which they’re easily exploiting.” Henrick got up from the couch and kept the folder close to his chest. “I’ll make sure to keep you and your brothers in the loop if we detect something big happening. As you said, we can’t stop them, but we can monitor them. We’ll make sure you'll have the intelligence you need so that you can stop whatever it is they’re planning before it's too late.”

“Thanks.” Wyatt led Henrick out the door while thoughts of what Seth’s endgame looked like ravaged the back of his head. Wyatt could anticipate that Seth’s plan would lead to the death of everyone, as Seth already demonstrated when he tried to kill Piper and Coop.

Wyatt closed his eyes and sighed as he leaned against the door. “We have to be ready for anything. And everything.”

*~*

Back at the town hall, Hank got Alma to bring Chris and him to a private room to cast Phoebe’s Lost and Found spell to retrieve the lost contract. With tensions so high in the courtroom between the Madsen family and the Ogres, they needed to know what the contract said before they could have any real remedy. 

Hank gently held Alma’s arm while he led her outside the private office. Chris remained as he set up the candle and quartz crystal before they recited the spell. “Thank you again, Alma.” Hank spoke carefully as he didn’t want to risk setting off Alma. After she showed how much she disliked the Ogres, Hank knew that anything he said could unveil his true intentions with the Lost and Found spell. “If it works how I’m expecting, then we’ll get the contract, and everything will turn out in favor of your family. Now, you are absolutely certain that the contract does accommodate your family’s construction of the dam?”

“A hundred percent!” Alma said cheerfully. She did resist a little as Hank continued to usher her out from the office. “My ancestors made sure to foresee every issue. Those Ogres have no right to this land. They signed it over, and we can do whatever we please and deem is necessary.” Alma held onto the doorframe, resisting her complete removal. “Are you certain that I can’t stay? Or that we can’t do the spell in the main hall?”

“No!” Hank and Chris spoke a bit too loudly that it startled Alma, forcing her to release the doorframe.

Chris coughed as he placed a hand over his heart. He worked to reestablish their mutual trust before Alma got too suspicious. “What we mean is that when our aunt last used this spell, it had some unfortunate consequences. In case the magic decides to act funky again, we’d rather spare everyone from side effects. We wouldn’t want to get traumatized by an ex-lover or spouse appearing from nowhere.”

Alma gasped. “That happened?”

Hank nodded, playing along with triggering Alma’s fears. “It even revived the vanquished demons that died at our aunt’s house.”

“Okay! Best of luck, boys!” Alma closed the door so as not to let any magical consequences strike her.

Hank and Chris sighed. “So close.” They approached the altar that they set up on a table. They had a lit candle and a quartz crystal there to channel the appropriate energy that they needed. 

Chris held Hank’s hand. “Are you sure about doing this spell? The contract could confirm that Alma’s family can do whatever they want with the land.”

“Or it might let the Ogres have their land back.” Hank squeezed Chris’s hand. “Doing this spell is the right thing. I can’t in good conscience defend these witches. Even if they do have the rights to the land. We need that contract so the judge can pass judgment.”

Chris nodded. He brought out a sheet of paper in which he wrote the spell from memory so that Hank could see the words. They stood closer together and began to recite the spell. “ _Guiding spirits, I ask your charity. Lend me your focus and clarity. Lead me to the one I cannot find. Restore that and my peace of mind_.” 

Sparks of orange light fluttered over their heads. Within seconds, a handful of parchment appeared on the table with several words scribbled onto the pages. 

“It worked! And without the risk of personal gain.” Hank grabbed the parchment and attempted to read the document. However, he noticed a significant problem. “It’s in Dutch.”

Chris grabbed the parchment and tried to read it. He squinted his eyes, bringing the parchment closer to his face. “And I can’t read it either. I guess Whitelighter-witches can understand and speak other languages, but only full-time Whitelighters can read other languages.”

Chris and Hank turned to each other, then looked to the ceiling. “Brody!”

Light-blue orbs descended from above, with Brody appearing. Brody crossed his arms. “You know the both of you don’t have to scream at me. I can hear just fine.”

Chris handed Brody the parchment. “Translate this contract for us. Hank is defending a group of assholes witches in court who are looking to steal land from Ogres.”

Hank smacked Chris’s arm while Brody began to read the contract. “You’re making me sound like a bigger jerk than I already feel. Especially since you’re the one that volunteered me to serve as their lawyer!”

“You could’ve said no.” Chris flinched as Hank hit him again.

Brody read through the three pages of the contract. He took his time since the situation proved crucial enough that it required his undivided attention. He nodded as he gave the deed to Hank. “It’s eighteenth-century Dutch, but I can understand every word. We should go see the judge.” Brody whispered the contract’s contents to Hank and Chris before they returned to the main hall, where everyone eagerly awaited the news. 

Keeping their cool, none of them showed any hints of what the contract stated. Hank presented the contract to Judge Jensen, who skimmed the document without knowing how to translate old Dutch, nor did anyone else from Alma’s family or the Ogres. Luckily, Brody revealed his hand as he introduced himself and his translation abilities. 

Brody turned to the witches and Ogres. “According to the contract, the Madsen’s have the right to this land and can modify how they see fit.” Cheers began to erupt from Alma and her family, while the Ogres appeared crestfallen. Brody fake coughed loud enough to regain their attention. “However, the contract also states that the Madsen’s modifications must not harm the Ogres’ remaining lands. Otherwise, the contract is voided, and the Madsen’s lose their rights to the land.”

Alma and her family stood jaw-dropped while the Ogres howled in victory.

Hank hid his smirk from Alma’s family. He could live with his conscience now as he turned to Judge Jensen. “Well, judge. You have the contract and know what it says. What is your verdict?”

Judge Jensen chuckled. “These lands must be returned to the Ogres. And they can decide whether the Madsen’s may remain on this land or not.”

The auburn-haired man stomped his foot. “Fuck! These filthy bastards will leave us homeless!”

The silver-haired Ogre, Ekta, stood from his chair. It slid back a few inches, the sound of the chair legs against the floor made a loud screeching noise. The hall fell silent as Ekta glared at Alma and her family. “This land belongs to us. And it will be respected.” Ekta approached the auburn-haired man. “Demolish the dam, and we’ll allow you to remain as renters of our land.”

Alma blinked. Her jaw remained slightly dropped. “Are you serious? You’ll let us stay.”

Ekta nodded. “My people may appear frightening, but we are not cruel or heartless. Not like your people.”

The Madsens and the Ogres began to discuss arrangements with the dam.

Meanwhile, Judge Jensen stepped away from the desk to approach Hank. Hank remained smiling but regained his professionalism. Judge Jensen shook his head. “You’re going to have a hard time being a lawyer. Especially if you’re defending tougher clients like the Madsens.” Judge Jensen extended his hand to Hank while also presenting him with a business card. “But you have a great deal of integrity. You’d make a good judge someday. Call me if you need a reference.”

Hank smiled again as he shook Judge Jensen’s hand and took the card. “Thank you, judge.”

Judge Jensen started to make his way out of the town hall while muttering that he needed a lift home. Brody went over to orb Judge Jensen home as Chris ran over to Hank.

Chris hugged Hank. “You got your first taste of being a lawyer. How’s it feel?”

“Nerve wrecking.” Hank patted Chris’s back as he stared out at the Madsens and Ogres. “But I think I’ll keep at it. To make sure that no one like the Ogres gets taken advantage of.”

As the words escaped Hank’s lips, Ekta approached Hank. Ekta went into his fur cloak to retrieve a silver brooch with a snow quartz gem at the center. The quartz had a few symbols carved into it: several squiggly looking lines and something that resembled a snowflake. 

Hank raised his eyebrows. “Um. What is that, sir?”

“It’s for you. A gift for helping us.” Ekta passed the brooch to Hank, who carefully accepted it. He spoke softly, at least for an Ogre. His voice didn’t rock the walls, but almost everyone could still hear him. “I could tell that you didn’t want to help the Madsens. You could’ve altered the contract, too but didn’t. You are a good man.” He pointed at the brooch. “And I can sense the cold within you. My ancestors received that brooch from the Snow Queen that once roamed these lands for their service to her. It is old fairy tale magic that can amplify the powers of one who is part of the cold.”

Hank stared at his hand. The quartz began to glow while he manifested a stronger cold wind than he felt before. “I can feel the power.” He smiled. “Why give this to me, though?”

Ekta nodded. “You are a Halliwell. We know of your family and the Hellfire Club’s actions. We can sense dark days approaching. We will do our small part to make sure you are equipped for the coming war for helping us. That brooch will help you in the battles to come.”

“Thank you.” Hank pressed the brooch to his chest. “I’ll be sure to take good care of it.”

“Be well, Halliwells. May the gods continue to favor you.” Ekta returned to his comrades, leaving Hank and Chris to ponder his words.

While grateful for the gift, Hank and Chris understood that they had bigger things to worry over from the Hellfire Club. 

*~*

No music played in Erotia for the first time in ages. 

Joey touched the stair rail as he went downstairs. The white and gold skirt swayed from his every step, while the gold sash barely covered his chest. He also wore a laurel wreath on his head.

Soft music started playing when Joey neared the bottom step. Several people gathered and watched as the wedding began. They cleared a path for Joey to the living room with purple hyacinth petals littering the floor. And in the living room, a group of Nymphs held a white silk sheet over the eagerly awaiting Carver that had enough space for Joey, while Apollo stood outside the sheet.

Carver smiled with his laurel wreath sliding a little. Carver’s thick chest and hair glistened since Apollo made sure to apply plenty of body glitter. 

Joey started making his way to the living room when he felt someone grab his arm. He nearly jumped out of his skimpy wedding attire when he saw PJ walking beside him. “PJ! What are you一”

PJ huffed as she squeezed Joey’s arm. She wore a cute, peach-colored dress that made her look almost as stunning as an Olympian goddess. “I’m here for your wedding. Thanks for the invite.” PJ glared at him. “You’re eloping and didn’t bother to invite your favorite cousin? I see how it is.”

“I’m sorry.” Joey squeezed PJ’s hand. “I’m glad you’re here.”

PJ rolled her eyes. She turned her gaze to Apollo as they neared Carver and the silk sheet over his head. “You’re lucky, Apollo called me. And you’re lucky that you're getting married, so I can’t punch you. Just remember to tell everyone that I was your Maid of Honor.” They reached the makeshift altar with PJ releasing Joey’s arm. She took her position near the Nymphs and helped to hold the sheet.

Carver took Joey’s hands; they smiled as their eyes met. 

Apollo placed his hands around theirs. He turned to the crowd. “Friends of Erotia.” He looked at the ceiling as the lights flickered. “And Erotia. We gather in celebration of the love between two of our friends and Erotia’s savior. And my dear friend.” Tears escaped Apollo’s eyes as he looked at Joey; they exchanged smiles too. No matter how awkward it appeared to marry a former lover to someone else, Apollo wanted to perform the ceremony because he genuinely cared for Joey as he did all his other lovers. “And his true love.” Apollo turned to Carver; they exchanged nods. 

“Now, Carver Obeidallah and Joseph Noel Halliwell. Do you vow to love, honor, and protect one another?” 

Carver smiled at Joey. “I do.”

Joey smiled at Carver. “I do.”

Apollo’s hands burned with warmth as he took a deep breath. Carver and Joey looked at their ring fingers to see that Apollo created their rings. They now wore gold rings with black lines wrapped together like a coiled rope. “I bless this union. May you remain united until the love runs out. And may that love never run out.” Apollo smiled. “You may now kiss as husband and husband!”

As soon as the words left Apollo’s mouth, Carver and Joey kissed. Their arms locked around each other as they exchanged their first kiss as a married couple, while everyone cheered and applauded. The lights continued to flicker as Erotia itself celebrated the marriage too. PJ cheered while she leaned against Apollo, who also smiled and applauded. 

The Nymphs released the silk sheet, allowing it to cover Carver and Joey. They kept kissing, not daring to stop for even a second. The sheet covered them, which gave them enough privacy from everyone else as they pressed their bodies closer together. 

Carver pulled his lips away while resting his forehead against Joey’s forehead as tears trickled down his face. “I love you, Joseph.”

Joey smiled as he also began to cry. He leaned closer and kissed Carver again. “I love you too, Carver.”

*~*

Seth descended to the basement of the Hellfire Club's mansion. 

The previous owners converted the basement into a pitiful “man cave” that the Club since demolished to serve as their artifact room. Numerous items that they raided from ruins, museums, and old demonic chambers cluttered the space. The items would eventually serve a purpose in the mission to eradicate goodness. 

For now, Seth sought something quite specific. He walked around books, weapons, and assorted jewels to focus on a wall-length mirror with black-painted borders and ornately carved wood that resembled claws. The mirror had cracked glass but still held together from powerful binding magic.

“It’s working perfectly.” Seth’s voice echoed across the vault as he approached the mirror. He began to smirk as his reflection got replaced by the smoky silhouette of another figure. “You are doing marvelous work for us. Your efforts to trigger my relatives’ fears have kept them quite distracted from our plans. We’ve sown so much chaos in this world that it is only a matter of time before Neferica rises. We thank you for your service.”

“ _My service?_ ” said an eerie voice from the mirror. The smoke faded to reveal a wrinkly-faced man with gray hair and grayish-blue eyes. His pale skin made him appear almost skeletal, rivaling that of the Angel of Death, as he too wore a dark suit. “ _I don’t recall volunteering to serve you, boy. You summoned my essence from the Wasteland and trapped me in this blasted mirror! Forcing me to spread fear!_ ”

Seth chuckled. “Well, I couldn’t allow you to roam freely, not after you’ve tried killing my mother so many times and even stole my father’s powers. I am young, not foolish, Barbas.”

Barbas, the Demon of Fear, glared at Seth. “ _You are quite foolish, boy. Not to mention arrogant._ ” Barbas crossed his arms. He floated in the mirror’s void, unable to do much other than to serve the Hellfire Club unwillingly. “ _It matters not. I will escape this mirror sooner or later. And when I do一_ ”

The mirror flashed red, and some of the cracks vanished. Barbas howled as an electrical surge spread across the mirror, while Seth’s hand glowed with dark-blue energy.

Seth tilted his head and licked his lips. “Don’t threaten me, Barbas. Once all the cracks are gone, you’ll be my slave for eternity.” He walked to the mirror with his face nearing the glass. “Now, be a good little demon, and spread more fear. We mustn’t keep the sleeping demons of Neferica waiting. And I am owed a throne.”

Seth snapped his fingers. He conjured a drape to cover the mirror before he could see Barbas’s scowl.

Barbas growled and slammed his fist against the glass. He knew Seth already left the basement even as he couldn’t see outside his mirror prison. “ _You will pay, Turner boy. I know your greatest fear, and I will do all that I can to make it real._ ” Barbas stared at his hand. His fear-reading abilities continued to work as Seth amplified them on a global level. But it also meant that Barbas could read Seth, even if he couldn’t target Seth’s fear yet. “ _Soon. Soon you will fall, boy, because fear always makes a comeback!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, folks! Barbas is back as he promised but not how he wanted. And with the Demon of Fear pissed the fuck off, we'll have to wait and see if that will come to bite Seth in the ass. Or if everyone is fucked.


	35. Second Hand Emotion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey yo! I am exhausted not from writing this chapter but from finishing my dissertation to send to the committee and grading a shit ton of students' essays. But I still squeezed out another fun-filled chapter that I hope everyone enjoys! 
> 
> Also, if you know where the title from the chapters comes from then you're cool.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

The dining room at Halliwell Manor got fairly crowded. Piper organized a Monday-night dinner since Joey and Carver canceled on their usual Sunday-night dinner. It didn’t bother Piper that much since Mondays were an easy day at the restaurant so she could put together their dinner without rushing. But it would cut into the quality time that Piper wanted with her boys even as Wyatt brought Gordon over as officially his boyfriend, Chris rambled on the wedding plans, and Joey had a surprise. 

In the meantime, everyone helped to get dinner ready. Leo sat Selena in her high chair, while Chris and Bianca helped set the table. Piper had Wyatt and Gordon in the kitchen to get the food together. Gordon started to fiddle with the wine bottle as they waited on Joey and Carver to join them.

Wyatt made goofy faces at Selena, while Leo tried to feed her. Wyatt kissed Selena’s forehead as he looked over at Chris and Bianca. “So! Do we finally have a date for the big day? Or should I keep my calendar wide open?”

“Ha. Ha.” Chris flicked Wyatt’s ear. “Well, since you so politely asked, we do have a date!”

“Shut up!” said Wyatt.

Leo wiped Selena’s face of the oatmeal. “That’s great! When is the wedding?”

Bianca placed the water pitcher on the table as Piper came into the dining room with the pot roast. “November 7th.” She smiled as everyone started to think on the date. “We’re keeping it pretty small, but cute. We found a cute hall that is like a château at the Heights. It is just perfect!”

“Sounds adorable.” Piper took off her oven mitts. “Do you have pictures of the place? I need to know how fancy I should dress.”

As Bianca grabbed her phone, the front door opened. Joey and Carver entered with two bottles of wine and Piper’s favorite cheesecake.

“Hey, people!” Joey raised the wine, while Carver carried the cheesecake. “It smells delicious in here.”

Wyatt ran to get the cheesecake as he had a strong craving for dessert now. “You’ll never believe it. Chris and Bianca settled on a date! And they have a venue!”

“Shut up!” screamed Joey.

Carver smiled. “Congrats!”

As Carver went to pat Chris’s shoulder, Chris noticed the gold ring on Carver’s ring finger. Chris found it curious at first but gasped when he saw the same ring on Joey’s finger. “Holy fuck! Are you two engaged?”

Joey and Carver went silent. All eyes turned to them. Carver didn’t dare speak. While Carver married into the Halliwell family, Carver wasn’t responsible for breaking the news. 

Joey grinned as he grabbed Carver’s hand to show off the rings. “That’s our surprise. The reason why were gone this weekend is that we went to Erotia to get married. Apollo performed the ceremony.”

“You did what!” 

“What the fuck!”

“Serious!”

The words boomed across the dining room. Even Selena started to yell gibberish despite not having a clue why everyone was screaming. 

The noise startled Gordon as he returned from the kitchen. He brought a bottle of wine and a wine opener with him as he tried to pop the cork. “What’s going on? What did I miss?” Gordon looked around. “Oh! Hey, Joe. Hey Carver.”

Bianca didn’t express any anger at Joey and Carver’s announcement. She wasn’t that type of woman, and she wanted no part of this fight. “Joey and Carver got married this weekend.”

Gordon grinned. “Oh! Gōngxǐ!”

Bianca shook her head. “They eloped without telling anyone.”

“Oh!” Gordon coughed. He looked around and saw the tension in the dining room. “Um. You know. Bianca, I could use some help with the wine. In the kitchen.”

“Sure!” Bianca welcomed the chance to escape as they fled for the kitchen. 

Carver gulped as he was too far from Bianca and Gordon to casually escape like that. He could think of one other excuse. “I...I need to use the bathroom.” He darted for the stairs, leaving Joey to fend for himself.

Joey sighed. He knew they’d have some drama, but he didn’t expect to see such angry and hurt looks from everyone. “Before you yell at me. Chris, we eloped so that we wouldn’t steal the attention. We were happy not making a big deal of it so that everyone could pay attention to your wedding”

Chris bit his lip. The less rational part of him wanted to yell at Joey for eloping. However, the calmer part of him heard Joey’s words. “Huh.” Chris unclenched his fist and shrugged. “You know what. Okay. In that case, congratulations!” He raised an empty glass as an instinct but realized it would’ve looked better if he had some wine in there.

“Thank you, Chris.” Joey turned to everyone else. “I’m sorry that I didn’t even tell you that Carver and I got engaged. With everything going on with the Hellfire Club, we just thought there wasn’t much of a point waiting.”

Piper took a deep breath. She clicked her tongue. “Let’s just eat.” She pulled out her chair. “Come eat, everyone!”

Leo nodded as he went back to feeding Selena. “Well. I’m happy for you both. Even if none of us got to be there.”

“Yeah.” Wyatt flicked his wrist and orbed the cheesecake into the kitchen. “It’s great that you got married. So. When are you telling everyone else? I bet PJ’s going to flip when she finds out she wasn’t invited.”

Joey cringed as Gordon, Bianca, and Carver started to return to the dining room. “Actually, PJ was there.”

“What!” screamed Wyatt, Piper, Leo, and Chris. Their booming voices prompted Gordon, Bianca, and Carver to leave again before they became casualties in a family feud.

Joey knew that he’d never live this moment down.

*~*

Dragged into a dark warehouse, a male Cupid gasped his last breath. His skin grew colder and paler. The vampires stripped the Cupid of his clothing and drained his blood from his arms, legs, and chest. The Cupid suffered an agonizingly painful death, while the vampires laughed as they savored his sweet almost chocolate-flavored blood. 

Lamia stood over her vampire children and the dead Cupid. She twirled her blonde hair, her mind drifting to the plan. “Poor little Cupid. What a shame that you had to die today.” She licked her lips. “Oh well! There is more where that came from.”

The vampires moaned while they licked themselves clean of the Cupid’s blood. Their orgasmic gasps echoed across the warehouse as the Cupid’s corpse crumbled into pink light.

A red-haired vampire slammed his palm to the ground. “I want more! More blood!”

“We’re still hungry!” hissed a dark-haired vampire.

Lamia chuckled. “You’ll get more soon, children. Trust me.” Her words did nothing to please the vampires. They would bemoan the need to wait. 

Flames arose as Seth and Zagon appeared. 

Seth carried a jagged arrow with the arrowhead rusted. The feathers decayed to almost nothing, which seemed worthless. “I see your spawn had fun with our prisoner. And you didn’t leave a mess.”

Lamia smirked. “We can banter later, Seth. Is that my magic arrow?”

“Yes.” Seth handed it to Lamia, while Zagon stepped closer. “You know what to do. Say hello to Eros for me.” Flames covered Seth’s body as he returned to their mansion.

Zagon crossed his arms. He turned his gaze onto the vampires who were remained lost from the high of the Cupid’s blood. “Should we leave those ones behind? If we’re to successfully attack the source of love then we can’t bring strung-out addicts with us.”

Lamia chuckled as she played with the arrowhead. “They’ll snap out of it soon. Then, the real fun can begin.” Her eyes darted to the spot where Seth previously stood. “Even if that one is dragging us into trouble. We should be more cautious over following his lead. Binding Barbas is a dangerous gamble. Despite Barbas uncovering one of humanity’s great fears.”

Zagon nodded. “We’ll see how this plays out.” He cleared his throat and deepened his voice to capture the vampire’s attention. “Come, children! The Temple of Cupid awaits us!”

*~*

After the uncomfortable dinner, the shower called Joey. He scrubbed himself of the drama until his skin tingled. He rubbed the night cream onto his face as he kept dwelling on his family’s pained looks. 

Joey excluding his family from the wedding hurt considerably, especially since he hadn’t even told them that he proposed to Carver. Joey didn’t know how to remedy the situation since they felt so disrespected. 

Joey left the bathroom nude. He didn’t bother to get dressed since Carver’s radiated so much body heat that it wasn’t comfortable to wear clothes to bed. He found Carver sitting on the bed and clipping his toenails. Carver had to lean a little more to reach his pinky toe to properly clip the nail. Joey crossed his arms. “Am I an asshole?”

Carver finished clipping his toenail while shifting his gaze to Joey. “Is this a test? Like the husband equivalent to when a wife asks if she’s getting fat?”

“No. I’m being serious.” Joey took the toenail clippers from Carver. He started clipping Carver’s remaining toenails. “I should’ve talked to everyone first. Even if we were still going to elope. Just so that they knew.”

“You’re the one who’d know how your family would react.” Carver leaned a little so that Joey had an easier time with clipping his nails. He dared not to speak too harshly since Joey could clip the skin or punish him through some other means. “While we had good reasons to not make a big deal, we still should’ve talked to them. Especially given how close you are to your family.”

Joey finished Carver’s big toe. He glanced at Carver’s other foot to see the toenails there already got clipped. He left Carver to clean up the mess. “I know. You’re right.” Joey sighed. “How we going to make things right?”

Carver chuckled. He grabbed the clippings and the nail clipper. “We? They’re your family.”

“They’re your family now too. You married me.”

“I can’t hear you!” Carver ran to the bathroom, while he started to take off his underwear. “I’m starting the shower. La. La. La!”

Joey rolled his eyes. He brushed the nail dust from the blanket as he pulled it over to cover his naked body. “You’re an asshole too, Carver! No bedtime head for you!”

A naked Carer peaked out from the door frame. “I love you, husband!”

“Uh-huh. Love you too.”

*~*

In a cream-colored marble temple floated on a sea of pink clouds. Dozens of white-winged Cherubs floated everywhere to deliver their messages, while the Cupids wandered the temple’s halls. The Cupids accepted their assignments and prepared for their mission to continue to spread love across the world.

A dark-skinned woman wandered across the temple’s garden. Her black hair bounced across her shoulders and a lavender-colored dress. She approached the roses that surrounded a pool of pink water. She crossed her arms, her Cupid’s ring exposed, and gave a mighty cough.

The pink water rippled as something arose from its depths.

The water splashed over the tiled floor while a transparent figure attains a proper form. The rising water shifted into that of a stunningly handsome man with golden hair and bright reddish-pink eyes contrasting beautifully against his olive-colored skin. He remained nude, exposing his lean, muscular physique to all the Cupids and Cherubs that served in his attendance. However, he did wear a necklace with a pink diamond that resembled the rings that the Cupids owned. 

The man yawned. “Ah, Kama! Good morning to you. How is my favorite Cupid?”

Kama sighed. She grabbed a black cloak from a nearby bench that she wrapped around him. “I’m exhausted from holding down the fort, Lord Eros. How is it that I must remain responsible for everything when this is your temple!”

Eros smiled as he tightened the cloak around his waist. “Now, Kama. It almost sounds like you wish for me to smite you. Did you forget that I am still a god?”

“No, my lord. But it appears that you did.” Kama waved her hand with pink light manifesting as she conjured a clipboard. “Now, there is something you need to know. The Cherubs have uncovered that over four Cupids have disappeared in less than forty-eight hours. We’ve found no trace of them anywhere on the earthly plane.”

“Really?” Eros approached a nearby mirror. He gazed at his appearance so that he could properly groom his hair. “What of their rings? Have they returned to the temple?”

Kama nodded. “The rings are in the vault. We have to assume that the Cupids died.”

Thoughts gathered. Eros looked from the mirror as he pieced together Kama’s report. “The deaths of that many Cupids in such a short period is worrisome. Do we have any evidence that Demons of Hate are involved?”

“None, my Lord. we have no leads.”

“Damn.” Eros snapped his fingers. “Summon Coop for me. It might do us some good if we have his witch family investigate.” Eros had Kama follow him as they approached the garden’s balcony. The balcony overlooked the temple's ground floor and the near-infinite sea of clouds. “His nephews are the Charmed Ones, correct? Uncle Apollo told me he bedded one of them.” 

Kama nodded once more. She touched her Cupid’s ring as she prepared to summon Coop. “Yes, my Lord. I have to agree with your judgment. Getting the Charmed Ones might be the best course of action. Especially if there are demons involved.”

Eros chuckled. “You make it sound like I am a fool, Kama! Have a little faith in一”

A whistling echoed across the air. Eros gasped as a jagged arrow struck his shoulder, spilling his godly blood. Kama screamed as she rushed to catch Eros before he fell from the balcony. Kama brought Eros to the ground. She reached for the arrow only for Eros to swat her hand.

Eros started gasping for air as his eyes started glazing over because of the blood loss. “This is an arrow from a Titan.” Eros clenched his fist. The pink diamond began losing its glow. “Call Coop! Summon the Charmed Ones!”

“Kill them all!”

Kama and Eros felt their hearts sink. They looked from the balcony to see demons swarming the temple. The Cupids and Cherubs fled for safety as the demons began the slaughter. And down on the ground floor, Kama spotted Lamia and Zagon leading the invasion. Zagon carried with him a bow, prompting Kama to identify him as the attacker.

Eros shook his head. “Kama! Hurry!”

Kama turned to Eros, tears trickling down her face. She brought her ring to her lips, blowing a kiss, while she watched, terrified that Eros might die. 

*~*

That morning, Coop finished cooking a breakfast quiche. He sliced pieces for everyone and brought the plates to the table while calling everyone to eat. Phoebe grabbed her coffee as she finished revising an article for the Bay Mirror. PJ and Paulina ran from the bathroom ready for the day since they planned a sisterly shopping trip.

The happy family gathered at the table when PJ’s phone vibrated. PJ’s eyes widened as she read the text from Joey to see how bad dinner went.

“Oh damn!” PJ bit the quiche. She shook her head as she dove into photos since the cat got out of the bag. “Well, there’s no point in keeping it a secret. So, big news, fam! Last week, Joey proposed to Carver, and he said yes!”

“That’s great!” Phoebe refilled her coffee.

Paulina nodded. “I bet Chris’s pissed. He’s always yelling at Joey and Wyatt for stealing his thunder.”

Coop chuckled as he served himself another slice of quiche. “He’ll get over it. So, I take it that Joey and Carver announced it to everyone else. How did that go?”

“Um.” PJ found the picture that she took at Erotia from the wedding and showed it to everyone. “They eloped at Erotia. And I was Joey’s Maid of Honor.”

“What!” Phoebe nearly dropped her coffee. Coop and Paulina appeared shocked too. They gathered to see the photo.

Paulina gasped. It wasn’t from outrage that Joey and Carver got married in secret. Her eyes focused on PJ’s dress. “That dress is so cute!”

PJ smirked. “I know! I felt like a Greek goddess!”

Coop’s jaw dropped. He went back to his chair and messed with Cupid’s ring. A faint pink glow arose as he sensed the love that the picture projected. “Good for them. I hope the boys are happy together.”

“I bet Piper and Leo are pissed.” Phoebe gave the phone back to PJ.

“Yup! He told them last night. Wyatt isn’t happy about it either. Chris is conflicted.”

Phoebe shook her head. “Joey is such an instigator.”

Coop wanted to defend Joey and Carver. After all, as a Cupid, Coop couldn’t dismiss Joey and Carver’s love which prompted them to elope. However, he wouldn’t get the chance to utter his defense as the Cupid ring started burning and followed with an intense heartache. 

Coop collapsed from the table with everyone screaming. 

PJ looked around their condo. “Seth isn’t causing this. Is he?”

Coop shook his head. The pain soon vanished but his ring remained glowing as he received the message from Kama. He tried to pull himself to his feet but felt too much pain that left him nearly immobilized. “The temple.” He took a deep breath to steady himself. “The Club is attacking Cupid’s Temple. Eros is injured.”

“Gods,” whispered Phoebe. “Love is in danger.”

Coop nodded. “Eros is requesting the boys’ help. Before the temple falls to demons.”

Paulina grabbed PJ’s hand. “We’ll get the boys! You rest, dad.”

“Right!” PJ turned to Paulina. “You get Chris and Joey. I’ll get Wyatt and take him straight to the temple.” 

“Got it!” 

Pink light washed over PJ and Paulina as they beamed to get their cousins, abandoning their half-eaten breakfast to save love itself. 

Phoebe held onto Coop, pulling him against his chest. She closed her eyes and muttered a silent prayer for her daughters’ safety.

*~*

The assault continued at the Temple of Cupid. Demons swarmed the temple with the Cupids and Cherubs unable to do much to prevent the invasion. 

Vampires sank their fangs onto the Cupids and Cherubs, swallowing the sweet blood of love itself. Even as the temple itself floated on a sunny void, it’s distance from a true sun meant that the vampires didn’t have to fear the risk of spontaneous combustion. However, the vampires had more demons to bolster their numbers, which made the threat on the temple worse.

Pink light flashed in the courtyard. Paulina brought Chris and Joey as promised. She aimed for a secluded enough spot, which meant that they didn’t run the risk of getting ambushed. Their jaws dropped as they saw the carnage at the temple and the demons running wild.

“Mercy,” whispered Chris. “This isn’t good.”

A blonde-haired vampire pulled away from a dead Cupid’s neck. The vampire had blood smeared across her face as she noticed more visitors. She hissed and charged after them, but would soon meet her doom. Chris saw the vampire and fired a blast of electricity to save the Cupid. Even as vampires had immunity to a witch’s active power, Chris’s lightning powers came from his Whitelighter blood. The lightning blast would easily reduce the vampire to ash. 

Then, a bald demon conjured an energy ball that he prepared to launch at a fleeing Cherub. Joey launched an orb of scarlet-colored energy at the demon. The orb erupted against the demon, reducing him to ash.

Paulina looked around the carnage until she caught a glimpse of PJ and Wyatt. She saw them near the balcony where they blasted a group of demons from the second-floor. “Up there!” Paulina pointed at the balcony. “The Club is probably there too.”

“Right.” Chris grabbed their hands. “Hang on!” He squinted his eyes. They ascended to the air after Chris blasted the ground with his telekinesis. Gravity finished the job as they landed on the balcony. 

A bleeding Eros leaned near the fountain while Kama stood in front of him. Meanwhile, Wyatt and PJ got caught in a fight against Zagon and Lamia. Wyatt and PJ managed to remove the other demons, allowing them to focus their attention on the greater threat. 

Lamia slashed her nails at PJ but narrowly missed. PJ crouched low and rolled from Lamia’s nails then swung her hand. Telekinetic energy struck Lamia, knocking her off balance for a second.

Zagon snapped his bracelet, which transfigured itself into a spear. He lunged to stab Wyatt when Wyatt grabbed the spear and pushed it away. Wyatt kicked Zagon, but the kick did little to harm Zagon.

“Reinforcements are here!” Joey gathered webs of scarlet energy around his fists as he threw a punch at Lamia. The energy erupted, sending Lamia sailing towards a stone bench.

Chris fired a lightning blast at Zagon’s metal spear, which shocked Zagon enough to drop the spear. It gave Paulina an opening to flick her hands and strike Zagon with a combustive blast that knocked him towards the ground.

Zagon rolled to his feet as he turned to Lamia. “We regroup, sister!” He clenched his fist, which unleashed a magical signal that prompted the other demons to flee. Fire would cover Zagon and Lamia’s bodies as they retreated with the demons to prepare for their next assault.

Smoke and fire ravaged the Temple of Cupid, while the cries of the injured and dying echoed in the air. 

Wyatt brushed some sweat from his forehead. “Bout time you made it. I almost got worried that you’d bail on us.” He walked over towards Kama and the injured Eros with everyone else following his lead. He moved to remove the Titan's arrow but Eros brushed the hand aside. 

Eros shook his head. “Don’t bother. The wound is too severe.”

“How can we help?” asked Joey. “Should we get Apollo? A god can heal another god. Right?”

Wyatt huffed. “Run to Erotia again.”

Chris punched Wyatt’s arm. “Get over it, Wyatt. So what that Joey eloped. It isn’t worth breaking the Power of Three over.”

“Thanks, Chris,” whispered Joey.

“But you are out of the running for my Best Man.” Chris patted Wyatt’s shoulder. “The honor goes strictly to you.” Wyatt smirked as Joey went silent.

PJ rolled her eyes as she yelled at them to grow up. She focused her attention on Eros’s wound. “Even with the arrow still in place, you're losing a lot of blood, Lord Eros. Should we get Apollo?”

Eros smiled as he rested his back against the fountain. “Young, Prudence. There is no point in fretting over me. Not when those demons will return soon.”

“But your life.” Kama knelt over to hold Eros’s hand. “My lord. You are the only living Deity of Love. If you perish then love itself is in jeopardy.”

“I have a plan for that, Kama.” Eros pointed towards the edge of the balcony. He gestured for the ground floor as the Cupids and Cherubs frantically moved to aid one another. “Focus on them. It is more important that we tend to the injured first. Before the demons return.”

Pink light flashed with Coop arriving. The psychic heart attack from earlier faded to memory as he rushed towards Eros and Kama. He fell to his knees. “Lord Eros! My gods. What did the demons do to you?”

Kama squinted her eyes. “We’ll discuss it later, Coop.” She left Eros’s side to grab Coop’s arm. “Come with me to help the injured.” Coop didn’t protest as he willingly followed Kama.

“We’ll go too!” Chris grabbed Wyatt’s arm. “We can heal the injured.”

“Good.” Eros sighed as turned his gaze to PJ and Paulina. He smiled while he removed his necklace and handed it to them. “Go to my vault and use this diamond to break the lock. There is something for you inside.”

Paulina took the diamond. “What? What are we looking for?”

“You’ll know it when you see it.”

PJ and Paulina nodded as they rushed from the garden to find Eros’s vault. 

Eros tilted his head and smirked at Joey. “And you’re in trouble with your family. For following your heart.”

“Did you have something to do with that, God of Love?” asked Joey.

Eros chuckled. “I only ignite the spark of love. You, humans, do the rest.” Eros groaned. The blood from the wound poured more. When Joey offered to remove the arrow, Eros shook his head since it would do no good. “They’ll get over it soon enough. You and Carver make each other too happy for your family to remain bitter for too long.”

Joey squinted his eyes. “How did you know Carver’s name?”

Eros pointed at himself. “I’m a god. Besides. I decided to personally handle the love lives of you, your brothers, and your cousins. As a thank you for the work of your mother and her sisters. Although, you did throw a curveball when you fell for Mark and Apollo.” Eros patted a spot next to him. His eyes glazing over more from the blood loss. “Keep me talking. It distracts me from the pain.” Joey nodded as he sat beside Eros, while everyone else worked on preparing for Zagon and Lamia’s next attack. 

*~*

Cupids and Cherubs wept across the temple as they struggled to overcome the trauma of the battle. Wyatt and Chris healed the injured, while Coop and Kama coordinated the temple’s remaining defenses. Meanwhile, PJ and Paulina focused on the assignment that Eros gave them.

It didn’t take much work to find the vault. The pink diamond glowed as soon as PJ and Paulina reached a black metal door that had intricate roses carved into the metal. The door had a goat’s face at the center with the goat’s mouth open.

Paulina glanced at the diamond than at the door. “How do we open it?”

PJ shrugged. “Wave the necklace like a wand? Or put it in the goat’s mouth?” PJ chuckled but Paulina inserted the diamond into the goat’s mouth. The goat’s mouth closed to lock the diamond in place. They heard a click and the door slowly opened itself. “I was joking. I can’t believe that worked.”

The door swung open, allowing them entrance into the vault.

They found mostly junk inside. Eros had scattered paintings, some urns, and other relics that would likely have some sentimental or even financial value. However, nothing spoke to them that signaled what Eros wanted them to have.

Paulina gasped as she saw quite the stunning portrait of Eros with a beautiful woman. “Man. Tamora will be so pissed when we tell her we saw this art. Do you think that’s a painting of Psyche?”

“I think so.” PJ shook her head. They didn’t have time to appreciate artwork since they didn’t know when Lamia and Zagon would return with demonic reinforcements. She looked around the vault for anything of true value. “Fuck! Eros said we’d know what it is when we find it, but I don’t even know what to find. Are we looking for a weapon? Jewelry?” She found a box and opened it to find something she didn't want to see. “Or godly sex toys.” She closed the box and walked away.

“Gross.” Paulina turned to another box which she found stuffed with jewelry. The jewels didn’t speak to her soul as she hoped. “Do you think this is a test? Like to prove that we’re worthy of our Cupid blood? Or maybe we can’t find what Eros wants because we’re not Cupid enough.”

PJ sighed. “You might be onto something, Polly. We use Cupid magic, but it’s not like we act like Cupids. Not like dad. We don’t have charges and it's not like we use our magic to spread love. We use it for fun or punching demons.”

Paulina crossed her arms. She kept looking but the thought of failure began to creep into her head. “So we’re not good enough to call ourselves Cupids. I always feared as much.” Paulina brushed a tear from her cheek. “All these Cupids are going to die. And it’s not like they can do much to fight back. They’re lovers, not fighters.”

PJ closed her eyes. When she arrived at the temple with Wyatt, the carnage that they witnessed was unbearable. So many Cupids and Cherubs were brutally killed with no means of properly fighting the demonic invaders. It reminded her of the Disneyland attacks that left her with so many sleepless nights. 

They couldn’t allow a travesty like that to happen again. Even if the Hellfire Club proved too powerful for her to face herself, PJ wouldn’t let that carnage to happen again without doing everything she could to stop it.

“No!” PJ clenched her fists. The pink light of a Cupid surrounded PJ but took on a darker shade from her determination. “We won’t let them get slaughtered! They won’t fall.” PJ turned to Paulina. “The Cupids aren’t fighters, but you and I are! We can fight! We can save love!”

Paulina brushed the tears away then smiled. She took PJ’s hand with the dark-pink light now surrounding her too. “We will save love! And we’ll save everyone!”

The dark-pink light erupted from their bodies and struck a tiny box hidden in the corner of the vault. They followed the light to find the box which started to open itself. The box contained a pair of rings that resemble other Cupid Rings but bore a smaller moonstone gem and band. Instinctively they took the rings and slid them onto their fingers to find that the rings fit perfectly. 

The rings glowed with dark-pink light as a hologram of Eros manifested. 

“ _To children of a witch and a Cupid,_ ” said Eros’s hologram. “ _May these rings, the Rings of Eos, grant you the power to spread and protect love. Blessed by myself and the fallen deities of love. Use them well._ ” The hologram faded, and it left more questions than answers.

Paulina looked at the spot where the hologram floated with her jaw dropped. “No instructions on how we use these rings?”

PJ stared at her ring. “I guess we learn by trial and error?” They would have to work with that assumption when they heard screaming outside the vault. An explosion soon followed as a pair of Cupids brought a group of Cherubs inside the vault. 

The demons returned for round two.

*~*

Another bloodbath began at the Temple of Cupid. Lamia and Zagon had two dozen demons rampaging even as their opponents knew better. Kama and Coop sealed the temples’ doors while gathering the strongest Cupids to raise a protective dome. Outside the dome, Wyatt led Chris and Joey into battle. 

Wyatt deflected an incoming fireball, which struck a vampire instead. Wyatt flicked his hand and blasted the demon with a combustive blast. The demon howled as it met his demise.

Meanwhile, Chris generated waves of electricity to decimate the demons’ numbers. He kept his strategy as simple as vanquishing the demons in a single blast since he didn’t know what Lamia and Zagon had planned. 

A pair of vampires tried to bite Joey. Joey kicked a vampire but the other almost sank his fangs into Joey’s forearm. Joey couldn’t rely on his magic because of a vampire’s immunity to a witch’s active powers so he braced himself for the pain. Luckily, a stray lightning bolt from Chris would kill the vampire. Joey sighed in relief then unleashed a wave of scarlet energy from his body. While the energy wave did nothing against the vampires, it did stun the nearby demons.

Many of the demons and vampires fell in battle, but many remained. 

Wyatt raised his hand. “Excalibur!” Light-blue orbs gathered as he summoned Excalibur. He grabbed the sword’s handle and decapitated a nearby vampire. He slashed at every demon that he could while keeping his eyes on Zagona and Lamia who kept their distance. “What are they up to? They look creepy standing back there!”

Chris started to take deep breaths. The electricity faded as he couldn’t maintain a constant stream. “Whatever it is, we’re better off going straight for the Power of Three. Anyone have a spell in mind?”

Joey backflipped from a demon then punched a vampire. The vampire stumbled and fell within range of Wyatt who decapitated the vampire with Excalibur. “I have none that’ll probably work.” Joey blasted the demon with an energy blast. “And I doubt screaming ‘the Power of Three will set us free’ will do any good!”

The demons started to run from the brothers to focus on the temple. Their rampaging did little good as the temple’s barrier held, but it also allowed Wyatt to go for the kill. He swung Excalibur and channeled his projection power through the sword to unleash a blast of destructive energy that vaporized the demons and vampires. 

Wyatt smirked then he looked behind him. Zagon and Lamia sprang into action, ready to finish the brothers, which they probably could as they held the power of the Source of All Evil. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey braced themselves. However, a flash of dark-pink light intercepted Zagon and Lamia. The dark-pink light warped itself into that of a colossal, transparent Cherub that exploded which shoved Zagon and Lamia back several feet.

Zagon and Lamia dragged their feet against the ground.

“What the fuck!” shouted Lamia. 

Zagon shook his head. “Did a giant Cherub attack us?”

The brothers appeared equally stunned. Then, they saw PJ and Paulina nearby. Paulina had her hand raised with her Ring of Eos glowing bright while PJ and her stood jaws dropped. 

Paulina stared at her hand. “So that’s what Eros meant when he said protect love.” She turned to PJ. “These rings can create giant Cherubs?”

“I think it’s more complicated than that.” PJ turned to the brothers. “Yo! Nerds! We got magic rings from Eros that are to spread and protect love. What sci-fi or comic book is that like?”

Wyatt and Chris shrugged when Joey squealed. Joey pointed at PJ and Paulina’s rings. “That must mean your rings are like the Star Sapphires’ rings. They’re like the Green Lanterns, but their magic rings are fueled by the power of love!”

PJ nodded. “And the Green Lanterns can create whatever they want, right? Can the Sapphires do the same?”

“Yes! All with the power of love and their imaginations!”

PJ and Paulina smirked as they turned to Zagon and Lamia. They raised their Rings of Eos. Their sisterly minds linked perfectly with the dark-pink light growing brighter to construct a transparent goat’s head that resembled the vault door. They even constructed a transparent diamond in the goat’s mouth as they launched the goat’s head like a rocket at Lamia and Zagon.

“Hell no!” Lamia grabbed Zagon’s arms. Flames covered their bodies as they abandoned their assault on the temple. The dark-pink goat’s head exploded into the infinite sea of clouds. 

*~*

As the threat passed, the Cupids and Cherubs began the work of repairing the temple.

Meanwhile, everyone else gathered in the garden where Eros leaned against the fountain. Divine blood continued to spill from Eros’s chest as he left the arrow in his chest. He stopped Wyatt and Chris from orbing the arrow out since it would do no good either. They couldn’t do a thing to remove the arrow as it would certainly prove the end of him.

Eros tilted his head back and sighed. Tears began to trickle down his face. “It looks like this is the end for me. Who knew immortality would end so painfully.”

“Lord Eros!” cried Kama as she covered her Cupid’s Ring. 

Chris turned to Coop. “If Eros dies, does that mean love dies too?”

Coop shook his head. “Love is a concept and emotion.” He instinctively went to touch his ring too. “It won’t die with Eros, but preserving love will become next to impossible. Eros is the last living Deity of Love. And without him, we Cupids will likely fade too.”

“No!” PJ and Paulina grabbed onto Coop’s arms.

“Don’t cry, ladies.” Eros gave a deep sigh. He placed his hand into the fountain and allowed his hand to soak. “Today is only the death of me. Not of the Cupids or love. There’s a failsafe.” He turned to PJ and Paulina. “Use those rings well. We made those rings because we anticipated dark times like these. They will help you fight to keep love alive.”

Eros reached for Kama’s hand with his soaked hand. The pink liquid dried itself onto Kama’s hand, while Kama continued to cry. “To my favorite Cupid, I ask that you drink from the fountain. With it, you will consume the essence of myself and the other deities of love. You will be the Guardian of Love.”

Kama gasped. “Lord Eros!” 

Eros nodded as he gestured for Kama to drink. She hesitated but would follow his request. She cupped her hands and sank them into the fountain then she drank what she could. The pink liquid coursed throughout her body, remaking her from a normal Cupid to a being that could preserve love even after Eros passed. 

Eros smiled now that the torch had passed. He turned Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. “As for you, Charmed Ones. Remember to love one another and to love those closest to your hearts. _Wisdom_ and _courage_ are not enough to survive the coming war. You will need _love_ too.” Eros wrapped his hand around the arrow. He took a deep breath to brace himself for the pain. “Never be afraid to love! For love will set you free!”

Eros removed the arrow from his chest. More of his divine blood gushed forth and some spilled into the fountain. The arrow fell to the floor while Eros faded from existence in a flash of pink light.

They closed their eyes, muttering silent prayers as they mourned Eros’s passing. 

Kama brushed her tears even as it proved pointless. She would continue to cry, but wouldn’t allow her grief to leave her immobilized. She turned to everyone else. “Charmed Ones, we will not forget what you did for us. You will have the Cupids’ aid next time you need it. Prudence and Paulina, you are one of us. And now you carry love’s tokens. Use the power wisely. To keep love alive.”

Everyone nodded. Kama smiled as she muttered that she had work to do, leaving them to tend to the Cupids and Cherubs.

*~*

In the aftermath of the battle, Wyatt needed something intimate. He went to Gordon’s apartment and they spent the last hour in bed cuddling. Gordon shared all the mundane details about his day then Wyatt told Gordon what happened at the temple.

Gordon rubbed Wyatt’s back as Wyatt kept his head against Gordon’s chest. “Damn! All that happened in one day? How do you guys deal with that much stress and trauma?”

Wyatt smirked. “You don’t have much time to process. The adrenaline takes care of most of the work.” Wyatt moaned as Gordon’s fingers started to dig into his neck. He kissed Gordon’s chest. “I needed this. Thanks for having time for me.”

“I always will.” Gordon kissed Wyatt’s forehead. “That’s what good boyfriends are supposed to do.”

“Good boyfriends.” Wyatt thought of Eros’ departing words. The thought that Wyatt almost lost the chance of sharing this love with Gordon made his heart sink. But as they laid in bed, Wyatt knew that he needed to do more. To prove his commitment. “We should meet each other’s parents.”

Gordon squinted his eyes. “We’ve met.”

Wyatt shook his head. He pulled away from Gordon’s chest and sat up. “Not as an official couple. I want to do things properly. We’re not just friends anymore or just dating. We’re boyfriends.” Wyatt grinned. “And that means I also need to properly introduce you to Selena since you’ll be properly part of our lives.”

Tears started trickling down Gordon’s face. He wrapped his arms around Wyatt and they kissed. 

Wyatt pulled back. “Is that a yes?”

“Yes!” Gordon screamed before kissing Wyatt again.

*~*

Meanwhile, Joey stared at the email on his laptop. He re-read it three times because he thoughts it was his imagination playing a cruel joke on him.

Carver left the kitchen with a pair of grilled cheese sandwiches for them. After what happened at the temple, Joey desperately needed comfort and Carver knew that grilled cheese would fix Joey’s mood. 

“Here you go, honey.” Carver placed the plate in front of Joey before taking a bite from his sandwich. His gaze shifted to the laptop as he got a glimpse of the email. “What does the editor from the _Times_ want now? Is he looking to get you to write another article?”

Joey shook his head. “No. He wants me to write a book.”

Carver almost choked on the sandwich. “A book? Are you serious?”

“Yeah. The article went viral and he has a friend in publishing who wants me to write a book on the experiences of growing up a gay witch.” Joey sighed. He closed the laptop and grabbed the grilled cheese. “I can’t do it. It’s too wrong for me to drag my family into a book. Especially after pissing them off.”

“The book deal is a major opportunity.” Carver squeezed Joey’s leg. “You should go for it. As for your family, we’ll talk to them. We’ll make things right between us so that they’re comfortable with this project.”

Joey smiled. “What happened to they’re my family and it’s my job?”

Carver grinned. “They’re my family now too. And I love you too much to see you this upset. So, I’m going to do my part to fix this mess as a good husband should!”

“You’re not a good husband.” Joey kissed Carver’s cheek. “You’re the best husband! And you make the best grilled cheese.”

Carver chuckled as he took another bite of his sandwich. “Don’t tell that to your mother. She’ll kick my ass.”

*~*

Across town, Chris locked himself in their bedroom to do some work. It left Bianca alone to discuss some last-minute wedding decisions with their wedding planner.

Bianca sat on the couch and had a notepad in hand as she scribbled everything that she could. “That’s right, it is for fifty people, Ramona. Get us those final estimates to us as soon as you can.”

“Not a problem, Bianca,” said Ramona. “I should have them ready by tomorrow afternoon. And I want to double-check that Chris is on board with this plan too. After what happened with my last clients, I don’t want to risk splitting up another couple because the bride and groom don’t know how to communicate.”

“We’re good!” Bianca chuckled. “Chris and I already finalized the guest list. We highly doubt we’ll meet more than six people who will get an invite in the next two months.”

“Perfect! So I’ll take care of the rest. You have a goodnight.”

“You too. Night, Ramona.” Bianca hung up the phone. She went to her master list in another notebook to check off the catering plans. Most of the list had everything cross off, which put them in a good place for their November ceremony. 

The bedroom door swung open. Chris came into the living room with a pair of suitcases.

Bianca gulped as she dropped the notepad on the coffee table. “Fucking Ramona! Are you breaking up with me?”

“No! Gods no!” Chris chuckled as he went into his pocket to grab his phone. He showed Bianca an email that she couldn’t exactly read because of the distance. “You and I have been so busy lately between work, wedding planning, and saving the world that I think we need some alone time. So I booked a three-day getaway at this cute resort.” 

Bianca took the phone to read the confirmation email. “Chikusenso Onsen? Where is that?”

Chris smiled. “Japan. I decided we should go all out for our getaway. And we’ll orb there so no need to worry over international flights.” He patted the suitcases. “I already packed everything you need. And whatever I didn’t pack, I’ll buy you when we get there.” He rolled the suitcases closer to Bianca and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Think about it. Massages. Facials. Amazing food. And soaking in a real hot spring for three glorious days.”

“Sold!” Bianca smacked Chris’s butt with his phone. She tilted her head back. “Alexa! Goodnight!”

The lights in their apartment went off, leaving everything quite dark. Bianca slipped her phone into her pocket and kissed Chris. Chris leaned closer with their tongues dancing as he grabbed their suitcases. She wrapped her arms around his neck as light-blue orbs surrounded them as he orbed them to the resort.

*~*

At the Hellfire Club’s mansion, Seth went to the basement once more. He approached the mirror with Barbas appearing as furious as ever. Seth licked his lips as he savored Barbas’ simmering rage, something he would continue to use to spread more fear across the world. 

Barbas folded his arms behind his back as he floated in his dark void within the mirror. “It looks like things didn’t go in your favor. Eros found a successor.”

“I’ll have you know, Barbas, that the plan went swimmingly.” Seth started to examine his fingernails. He would glance at Barbas to notice the rage brewing at almost being disregarded. “Eros is dead, and so are many Cupids. Granted, Eros did mark a successor, but it’ll take centuries for Kama to grow into her power and for the Cupids to replenish their numbers. For now, love is in a state of disorder.”

Seth chuckled and ran his finger across the mirror to tease Barbas’ chin. Even as the glass separated their dimensions, Barbas could psychically feel how Seth toyed with him. “You know mortals, Barbas. Amongst their greatest fears is a loss of love or never being able to find love. We did enough damage to magnify that fear on a global scale. It’ll be that much harder for them to keep their love alive, pushing them further into sorrow and depression, and raising the chaos in their lives!”

Barbas glared. He smacked his fist against the glass that divided them. “We? I did the work. It was my plan and I acted as the conduit to reach the temple. You are nothing without me, little boy!”

“And you are my slave.” Seth poked Barbas’ nose. He sent a spark that traveled across the dimensions, shocking Barbas. More of the cracked glass along the mirror repaired itself, reinforcing the seals that kept Barbas prisoner. “Keep brewing evil plans and spreading fear for me, Barbas. We’re not too far from breaking Neferica’s seals.” 

Seth vanished in flames, leaving Barbas alone in the dark basement. Barbas retreated into the shadows of his mirror prison as he muttered his vows for vengeance. 


	36. Angelus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiii! Here is the last of the cousin-centric chapters. Also, since the fall semester is over, I am expecting to finish a few more chapters before the spring semester starts. We'll see if I can pull it off.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

As the sun began setting over San Francisco, Tamora’s feet dangled off the ledge of Golden Gate Bridge. She sat on the highest point while Paige finished sending a text to Henry and Hank about their dinner plans. 

Paige looked away from her phone. “You’re still good with Giorgio’s for dinner. Right, baby girl?”

“Always!” Tamora tilted her head back. She groaned from the wait. “Why am I even here, again? I have a project for the collective to finish. And they’re late! The Elders can’t both to show up on time for an appointment that they wanted!”

Paige smirked. “They’ll be here soon. Or else I’m going up there and kicking their ass.”

Light-blue orbs descended from the sky. The Elder, Sandra, appeared in her flowy white and gold robes. “I apologize for keeping you waiting, Paige and Tamora.” Sandra kept her arms crossed over her chest. “Tracking the Hellfire Club’s activity and mitigating their damage is proving more than we can handle. We’re running low in resources.”

Tamora pulled herself to her feet. Luckily, she did so gracefully without risking falling from the bridge. “Good thing you have my cousins doing the heavy lifting for you. Now, why are we here?”

“Easy, Tam.” Paige reached for Tamora’s arm, but her smile disappeared. She too wondered why Sandra would ask for this meeting. “Still. Why are we here? If you’re so busy with the Hellfire Club, it doesn’t make sense for you to call on us. Unless there’s something specific that you need.”

Sandra nodded. “A request, really. As you know, Paige, we’re running low on Whitelighters too. We’re doing our best to keep everyone from having too many Charges, but things are in a bit of a crisis.”

Paige sighed. “Yeah. More demons acting in the open means more witches and future Whitelighters are in danger.”

“Which is why we wanted to offer Tamora wings.” Sandra turned to Tamora. “Now that you’re an adult, the other Elders and I wanted to offer you the opportunity to become a true Whitelighter. Of course, we wanted Paige here too, out of respect.”

“Oh,” said Tamora and Paige.

The thought of becoming a Whitelighter always lurked in the back of Tamora’s mind. She knew she could become one and Paige made it look exciting enough. However, there is also the life that she began envisioning for herself. “I...I don’t know.” Tamora collected her thoughts. She wanted to maintain her manners but she also had questions. “Why me? What about Chris and Wyatt? Did you offer them their wings too?”

“No.” Sandra shook her head. “Not yet, at least. We want to keep their focus as undivided as possible until after the Hellfire Club is defeated. Now, Tamora, you don’t have to accept the offer today. We just wanted you to know that it is available.” Sandra looked to the Heavens as she heard a jingle. She nodded and smiled at them. “Call when you have an answer. Goodnight.” Sandra orbed, returning to the Heavens.

Paige turned to Tamora. She didn’t hate the thought of Tamora becoming a Whitelighter. They might even have some fun as a mother-daughter Whitelighter team. But Paige also knew Tamora well enough to see that Tamora had other thoughts in mind. “You don’t have to make a choice today. Make the Elders wait as long as you want.”

Tamora smirked as she held Paige’s hand. “Yeah. Let’s make the Elders wait on us for a change.”

*~*

At a weapons factory somewhere in the Midwest, the workers there laid in a mass grave, while demons ran the operations now. Darklighters modified the standard gunpowder recipe to make a deadlier concoction. 

Seth and Abigor overlooked the operations from an office. The factory’s former owner laid dead in the corner, decomposing as they didn’t bother to waste their magic in killing the man. They settled for shooting him with one of his guns.

The demons and Darklighters worked in their assembly lines, building the armory that the Hellfire Club wanted to remake the world. They had a simple plan. In this new age, they would mass produce Darklighter poison as they would usher the cleansing of Whitelighters.

Seth stroked his chin while monitoring the work. “I like how things are moving. I say we’re not that far from having enough poisoned weapons to exterminate Whitelighters.” He stared at the ground floor as a Darklighter loaded a box of their poisoned bullets onto another pallet. The box joined dozens more. “Demons should’ve modernized their weapons sooner. We allowed humans to act more ruthlessly than us. Just look at how trigger happy they are.”

Abigor chuckled. “A shame. One we’ll remedy soon enough.” He snapped his fingers. Black orbs manifested as a Darklighter appeared before them. “Koken. When will you have the supply complete?”

The Darklighter, Koken, bowed before Abigor and Seth. “Within two days, sirs. Then, we can spread the weapons to strike the Whitelighters.”

“Marvelous.” Seth waved his hand, sending Koken away so that they regained their privacy. He turned to Abigor. “First the Cupids. Now the Whitelighters. At this rate, we can count on Neferica rising before year’s end.”

“Indeed. A shame we can’t move things along.” Abigor clenched his fists. Sparks of dark energy fluttered from his hand before vanishing. “All this power and we can’t just warp things to our will.”

Seth sighed. He hated needing to explain the reasons why they didn’t warp the world completely into one of their image once again. “You know why, Abigor. My father got himself killed because he warped reality too recklessly that he left himself weak and vulnerable. Even the Avatars suffered from wasting their collective energy on warping reality on a global scale.” Seth backed away from the window. He sat on the edge of the dead owner’s desk, grabbing a bottle of discarded scotch. “We won’t make the same mistakes. Consider what we did. We didn’t warp time and space to expose magic; we only changed people’s perception of reality so they accepted magic’s existence.”

“And that is why the magical community remains aware of the changes.” Abigor grabbed a glass and had Seth pour a glass. “Yes, Seth. I know what we did. I am a knight. Not a fool.” He sipped the scotch, savoring its smoky flavor. “We won’t make the same mistakes as the demons and gods before us. We will rule this world. And eliminate all that is good.”

Seth raised the scotch bottle. “Praise evil!”

*~*

The lunch rush at the restaurant meant a long wait. However, Wyatt knew how much Gordon’s parents, Xue and Michelle, loved seafood so he decided that they should eat at a fancy seafood restaurant near the pier for the first proper meet-up. Piper and Leo came too since Wyatt and Gordon wanted to make things official between them. 

Wyatt played a toddler show on his phone for Selena. The harmless puppets distracted Selena as she randomly applauded and giggled, which allowed everyone else to enjoy their meal. 

Michelle leaned across the table to stroke Selena’s soft hair. “She’s getting so big! And so fast. What are you feeding her?”

“Everything.” Wyatt adjusted the phone’s angle so that Selena could see the screen easier. “She is not a picky eater which is great. Hopefully, she stays that way.”

“Don’t count on it.” Xue pointed at Gordon, while he chuckled. “This one would eat everything when he was small, but the minute he started elementary school, he switched only to chicken nuggets and carrot sticks.”

Gordon rolled his eyes. “At least I still ate a vegetable.”

Piper closed her menu and reached for her water. “Oh, I remember that. Wyatt and Joey did the same thing to us. Chris had a picky phase too, but he wasn’t nearly as bad as those two.” Wyatt huffed as he buried his face into his menu to figure out what he wanted to eat.

Leo stared at his menu. “I don't miss those days. Oh! The crab bake sounds good. But so does the flounder.”

“Both are great options.” Michelle kept watching Selena, a smile spread across her face. “I miss having babies around.” She looked over her shoulder to Gordon. “You and your sister need to hurry up and give me some grandkids.”

Gordon choked on his water, while Wyatt smirked in his direction. Gordon shook his head as he pointed at Wyatt. “I don’t think I can make that happen. And Ashley needs to finish school first.”

“So you’ll adopt. Or get a surrogate,” said Michelle. “Or you can hocus pocus a baby. Isn’t that something you can do, Wyatt?”

Wyatt’s eyes bulged a little. Now, Gordon started to chuckle as Sandra directed her undivided attention onto someone else. “Um...I. I don’t think so. There are personal gain rules.”

Michelle sighed. “I guess that means you two need to get married quickly so I can claim Selena as my step-granddaughter.”

Piper and Leo started to laugh, while Gordon and Wyatt blushed.

Xue patted Michelle’s hand. “Easy, honey. Give the boys time to make sure they’re compatible first.” Xue raised his hand as he spotted their waiter nearby. While they weren’t ready to order their meals, Xue wanted to order a bottle of wine for the table and an appetizer. “Besides, I’m sure Piper and Leo want time to savor their kids’ weddings. Joey just got married and Chris is going to get married soon, right?”

“In two weeks,” said Piper. “It’s been a busy couple of weeks for them.”

“How exciting!” said Michelle as the shift in conversation distracted her from Gordon and Wyatt. 

Gordon muttered a silent thank you to Xue for rescuing him from his mother.

*~*

Meanwhile, across town, Tamora went on an errand run with Paulina. They finished getting everything that Paulina needed for a project for her librarian studies program as Tamora rambled about Sandra and the other Elders’ request. Tamora didn’t know what to think of becoming a proper Whitelighter and she needed someone who had no ties to Whitelighters or the Elders to get a better opinion. 

As much as Tamora loved her family and valued their judgment, they had too many clouded opinions. Paige loved being a Whitelighter but also had a complicated history with the Elders. Henry married a Whitelighter and Hank grew up the son of one so they didn’t see much of a problem with it other than Tamora working for the Elders.

Paulina didn’t care one way or the other, which would prove useful. Paulina scratched her head as she listened to everything Tamora said. The Ring of Eos glistened against the sunlight while they approached their subway stop. “Okay, so we know that the Elders are trash. Does that mean you’re going to tell them to fuck off and focus more on your artistic life?” Paulina playfully bumped Tamora’s shoulder. “Go live your lesbian artist fantasy in Paris?”

“Nothing that stereotypical,” said Tamora, “but yeah. I really don’t know about being a Whitelighter. Like I don’t hate the idea of helping people, but it’s a serious level of dedication that I’m not sure that I’m ready for or even want. Also, I don’t know how it’ll affect my art. Or if I’ll have to give it up.”

“That’s true.” Paulina squeezed onto the canvas back full of supplies. The particleboard and paint bumped against her knees. “I get the fear of sacrificing, but who is to say you can’t do both? Look at your mom. She’s still a social worker and a Whitelighter. And Uncle Leo still did dad stuff when Wyatt was first born, and still found time for him even after becoming an Elder. Same with my dad and all his Cupid stuff. Or our moms and Aunt Piper.”

Tamora nodded. She followed Paulina’s logic as she dove deep into their family’s past. They found ways to defy the odds, but something always fell through the cracks. It sounded good to fight to have it all, but that was a luxury that proved too unrealistic. “I’m not so sure. I want to do more to help others, but my art.” She shook her head and sighed. “Maybe I should put the Elders’ offer on hold.

Paulina shrugged as they walked downstairs to an empty stop. “It’s your life. Make the decision that you think is best.”

The announcer notified them of a train approaching in five minutes. They shifted the conversation to Paulina’s school project when they saw black orbs appear on the other side of the train's rails.

A blonde-haired Darklighter raised his crossbow and fired it. Paulina dropped her bags and froze the arrow before it could get anywhere close to Tamora. The Darklighter started to reload the crossbow when Tamora orbed the arrow back at the Darklighter, vanquishing him. 

The black orbs scattered across the ground before vanishing. 

Tamora shook her head. “Thanks for saving my ass, Polly. You spared me from the burn of Darklighter poison.”

“Anytime.” Paulina bent over to grab her bags when she noticed a shimmer. Her eyes widened as she spotted a red-haired demon that raised a gun to them. “Shit! Look out!”

The demon pulled the trigger before Tamora could react. The bullet hit Tamora’s shoulder, while Paulina grabbed Tamora before she hit the ground. Tamora screamed. She felt the agonizing pain that a bullet wound naturally caused, but something else assaulted her. Her vision blurred and her skin boiled. It got harder to breathe as she recognized the corrosive effects of Darklighter poison. 

Tamora squeezed onto Paulina’s hand. “Darklighter. Poison.”

Paulina shook her head. “No. Demons mixed Darklighter poison with bullets.” She heard a click. She turned over her shoulder as the demon prepared to fire another bullet. The poison wouldn’t affect her, but a bullet to the head could still kill her. The demon fired his gun, while she pointed her Ring of Eos forward. 

A wall of dark-pink light manifested to shield them from the bullet. Paulina retracted the barrier as she dug into her imagination. She prepared to attack the demon when she saw light-blue orbs gathering.

Chris and Joey appeared without the demon noticing their presence. Joey moved quickly and kicked the demon hard, sending the demon crashing against a nearby pole. The demon dropped the gun and a phone slid from his coat, sliding across the floor. Before the demon could recover, Chris fired an electric blast. With the demon’s back to a metal pole, the electricity intensified until it vanquished the demon.

“Great job, Chris!” Joey ran to retrieve the gun and phone.

Chris looked across the rail to see Tamora gasping for air. “Not that great.” He grabbed Joey’s arm and orbed them to the other side. Chris knelt over to see Tamora’s wound, but also saw burn marks from a Darklighter poison. “The guns are laced with Darklighter poison now? When did demons get that smart?”

Joey placed the gun on the ground. “My premonition didn’t warn me of poisoned guns. This has Seth’s name written all over it.” He held Tamora’s hand, while Paulina grabbed the other one. “Chris. You know what to do.”

“Right.” Chris looked at Tamora. “I’ll orb the bullet and its fragments out. This will hurt so brace yourself.” Tamora nodded while Chris moved his hand closer. “Bullet!” Light-blue orbs flickered around Tamora’s wound then moved out from her body. Tamora screamed as Chris directed the poisoned bullet to a nearby trash can. “There! There! The worst part is over.” He placed his hand over the wound and began to heal Tamora.

The golden light washed over Tamora’s shoulder, undoing the wound, and neutralizing the poison in her system. Tamora gasped as she started to breathe normally again. “Thanks, Chris.” She turned to Joey. “You had a premonition that I’d get shot?”

“Yeah. Lucky for you that we just finished our appointment with the suit tailor. But it looks like we didn’t move quick enough.” Joey held the phone up to show a locked screen that had a rather plain background. “How much do you want to bet we find the demons and Darklighters’ evil plans in here and their connection to the Hellfire Club?”

Tamora grabbed the phone. “Let’s crack this sucker open. I want to know why I got shot!”

“Right.” Chris grabbed onto Joey and Tamora then turned to Paulina. “Meet us at the manor.” He began to orb, while Paulina beamed herself to the manor.

*~*

Glass rained across the factory floor from the owner’s office. Koken crashed onto the floor which startled the demons and other Darklighters, stopping them from their important work. Koken struggled to move even slightly. A demonic howl echoed across the factory, leaving everyone paralyzed in fear.

Seth and Abigor descended from the broken. They landed without any trouble while they watched Koken fighting to get back on his feet.

Seth flicked his wrist. A telekinetic blast pinned Koken to the ground while Seth glared at everyone in the factory. “Which of you idiots ordered the attack on Tamora Mitchell!” Seth’s voice boomed against the walls. 

The demons and Darklighters started backing away, none willing to utter a single word. Seth waved his hand. It sent a pair of demons and a Darklighter on fire, vanquishing them. Seth pointed at everyone. “Do you have any idea what you’ve allowed to happen? Our plans are exposed now! That is why I told you to attack my cousins last! They’re the only ones who can derail this operation!”

The demons and Darklighters tilted their heads to the ground.

Abigor leaned against a nearby crate. “We don’t have any time to spare. We have no choice but to launch our attacks on the Whitelighters now. Even if some might escape execution. Better we kill all that we can now and not risk more going into hiding.”

Seth growled. He shook his head as he listened to Abigor’s words. “My cousins are aware of us now. And because they got a phone with our plans, it’s only a matter of time until they attack this factory.” Seth waved his hand once more. He released Koken from the restraint, allowing Koken to get back on his feet. “There’s no point holding back. Kill every Whitelighter that you can find!”

“Yes, sir!” shouted the demons and Darklighters. 

Seth and Abigor vanished in flames for their mansion to work on their next plan since this one crashed and burned.

*~*

Tamora laid on the couch in the manor’s sunroom. Her head still buzzing and her skin burned from the lingering effects of the Darklighter poison. She rubbed a cool cloth against her shoulder, massaging the spot where she got shot to numb some of the pain. 

Sounding the alarm, everyone gathered at the manor to discuss their plans. Coop, PJ, and Phoebe left for the Temple of Cupid to fortify their defenses as they feared that the Hellfire Club might launch another attack on the Cupids as a distraction. Paige, Piper, and Brody ascended to the Heavens to guard the Elders against the possibility that the Club could access the Heavens with their poisoned guns. Meanwhile, everyone waited on Bianca to dig up everything she could from the demon’s locked phone.

Joey examined the gun as he tried to trigger another premonition and, luckily, Henry removed the bullets so that Joey didn’t accidentally shoot himself. Wyatt and Chris discussed how they could approach this fight safely. Carver stood near Leo as they played with Selena, keeping her distracted from the coming fight. 

Pink light flashed into the sunroom as Paulina and Hank returned. They left so that Hank could retrieve the Snow Queen’s brooch that the Ogres gifted him. He knew a fight would come soon so he wanted to get himself prepared. 

Henry returned from the kitchen with a glass of water for Tamora. He sat beside her on the couch while Tamora sipped the water. “You’re looking better, sweetie.” Henry brushed Tamora’s hair over her ear. “I think you should go get some rest. A nap might help you recover faster.”

“Thanks, dad.” Tamora placed the glass on the coffee table. “But I don’t plan on getting any rest until we deal with whatever the Club is planning.”

“Got it!” Bianca ran into the sunroom from the makeshift computer station she set up in the living room. She had the phone unlocked and started scrolling through the files. “Thank my mother for having the foresight to modernize the Phoenix Coven. We have the best hacking software so it didn’t take nearly as long as I expected.” 

Chris leaned over Bianca’s shoulder to get a read of the messages for himself. “Damn! The Club created a mass production line of Darklighter poison-infused bullets. They’re going to attack Whitelighters all over the world and at once.”

“Not good.” Wyatt’s gaze shifted to Selena. While Selena only had a quarter of Whitelighter blood in her and didn’t show any signs of having a Whitelighter’s powers, Wyatt’s dad brain screamed that Selena could become a target. “Do you have an address for the factory? And is there only one?”

“All signs point to yes.” Bianca scrolled through the phone. “And we got a location! If we hurry then we can get a jump on the demons.”

“Let’s move it!” Joey left the gun with Henry to properly dispose of it. “Chris. Wyatt. You keep behind us.” He looked at Bianca and Carver who left to follow them.

Hank shifted from his spot against the wall. “What about the rest of us?”

“Stay behind as backup,” said Wyatt. “And in case the demons are making moves elsewhere. Dad. Uncle Henry. You should take Selena and go hide at Magic School for now.”

“We will. Be careful.”

Wyatt and Chris began to orb, while Bianca took Joey and Carver’s hands as she shimmered them to the factory’s location. 

Meanwhile, Tamora sprang to her feet. Even as she felt a little light-headed. She pushed the pain aside to focus on the bigger issue. “I’m not sticking around here.” She pulled her arm from Henry who tried to get her to sit back on the couch. “We can’t leave them to face the Club alone. It’s too dangerous. And the other Whitelighters. We have to do something to protect them too.”

“How?” asked Paulina. “There are too many Whitelighters all over the world. Besides, they’re too much of pacifists to protect themselves, much less fight back.”

Leo carried Selena as she hung onto the stuffed horse that Gordon gave her for her birthday. He squinted his eyes. “Fight back.” Leo closed his eyes. He wondered if that might help them. “There is something you can do. If you really want to help.”

Henry glared at Leo. “Don’t encourage her. She needs to rest not throw herself into battle.”

“She won’t fight anyone.” Leo turned to Tamora, Paulina, and Hank. “Back when I was an Elder, I studied some of the old histories. I learned of this family of magical blacksmiths known as the Bladesmiths.”

“So original,” whispered Hank. 

Leo ignored Hank’s comment. “The Bladesmiths created numerous magic weapons. The Elders even turned to the family for help when they considered making Whitelighters warriors. Even though the Elders rejected making the Whitelighters combative, it is possible that the Bladesmiths kept the weapons. It is worth investigating.”

Tamora nodded. She had to help give her fellow Whitelighters a fighting chance. She proved an easy enough target for the Darklighters and if she could fall then it was certain that the other Whitelighters would fall. They had to do what they could to stop an extinction-level event. “Do you know where the Bladesmiths are, uncle? We need to see them now.”

“Yes. They’re based in Nepal. Come with us to Magic School and I’m sure we can find their exact location from my office’s scrying radar.”

Tamora turned to Paulina and Hank who had no problem joining her in this mission as they too wanted to protect their cousins and save the Whitelighters from extinction.

*~*

The demons and Darklighters at the factory mobilized for war against the Whitelighters. They ripped the crates open not bothering with the more elegant distribution that they planned as Seth and Abigor’s orders made it clear to strike now. More demons and Darklighters appeared to take everything that they could get their hands on then rushed from the factory to find their first targets.

Wyatt, Chris, Bianca, Joey, and Carver appeared behind a massive machine in a secluded corner of the factory. They watched and listened as they knew the impending threat that the Whitelighters would soon face. 

Carver cracked his knuckles, bracing himself for the coming fight. “What’s our plan? How do we stop this shipment without getting Chris and Wyatt killed?”

Joey nodded. “I’ll move to the front line. Bianca, you, and I will keep to the frontlines while trying not to get shot. Chris and Wyatt, you focus on blowing up the machines and try not to get shot too.”

“I don’t love that plan,” said Chris, “but it’ll have to do.”

Bianca slowly moved around the machine while she gestured for Chris to follow. “I’ll keep close to you. Wyatt, don’t hesitate to raise your force field. If things get bad, you two, get out of here. Carver, Joey, and I will do our best to handle things alone before we evac. Sound good?”

Wyatt shrugged. “Still not a fan of this plan. However, we don’t have much time to make something better. Let’s move it.” 

They scattered as expected. Carver went ahead, while everyone else kept hidden. Carver howled and shifted into his werewolf form, which drew the demons and Darklighters’ attention. The demons and Darklighters ran to grab the guns even if they weren’t armed with silver bullets; the gunfire would slow Werewolf-Carver down. 

Bianca and Joey took the attention off Werewolf-Carver. As Werewolf-Carver ripped the head off a demon, Bianca flung an energy ball at a crate. Ammo clips and bullets rained everywhere, which startled the demons and the Darklighters. Joey then slid across the slick floor to get close to a group of Darklighters. He released a scarlet energy wave that blew some of the Darklighters up, while others got flung across the factory.

The attacks proved effective enough in distracting the demons and Darklighters, which is what they wanted. It gave Chris and Wyatt the opportunity that they needed to make their moves. Wyatt blasted a machine with a combustive blast, while Chris overloaded another with an electrical blast. Explosions appeared across the factory, making the situation more volatile. 

A bald demon got tossed across the factory, landing on a conveyor belt. He groaned then spotted Wyatt and Chris. “The Whitelighers are here! Kill those two!” His screams echoed when Wyatt blew him up.

The demons and Darklighters tried to turn their guns onto Wyatt and Chris, but Joey did his best to ruin the shipment. Joey unleashed mighty energy blasts that managed to melt some of the guns and ammo, rendering them useless. However, it wasn’t enough. The demons and Darklighters grabbed what they could and opened fire. Chris waved his arm to disarm some, while Wyatt projected his force field. 

Werewolf-Carver lunged across the factory and tackled a pair of demons that shot at Chris. He ripped their throats, saving Chris’s ass. Bianca covered Chris and flung an energy ball at the face of a Darklighter. 

Meanwhile, Joey kicked a red-haired demon that tried to shoot Wyatt from behind. Joey flung an energy blast at another crate, blowing it up. “Okay! So this isn’t looking good! We should probably call reinforcements!”

Wyatt turned around and expanded his force field to cover Joey. The blue energy appeared over Joey to block a bullet that would’ve hit him in the chest. “I’m not sure that calling them will do much good. There are too many demons here! We need something bigger than our cousins coming in gun blazing!”

“Like what?” Chris shouted. 

More demons and Darklighters began to appear as they grabbed whatever guns they could or flung energy balls and fireballs. 

*~*

Venturing into a remote part of Nepal, Tamora hoped that they could find Bladesmiths before their family got themselves killed. Tamora walked beside Hank and Paulina into a mountainside cave that Leo documented as the last sighted location of the Bladesmiths.

Hank zipped his sweater as a chilly breeze swept into the cave. “Why the hell does it have to be a cave? Why can’t we find the magical blacksmiths on a beach in Hawaii or Fiji?”

Paulina chuckled. “I never took you as a crybaby, Hank. This is a whole new side to you.”

“I’ve just read enough books and seen enough movies to know that this never ends well.”

“Pray you’re just being paranoid,” said Tamora. “We need to find the Bladesmiths and save our cousins and the Whitelighters.”

Hank and Paulina nodded as they moved deeper into the cave. The further they went, the more elaborate the cave appeared. 

They found themselves standing in an intersection with numerous paths open to them. They could see this journey ending poorly if they didn’t properly prepare themselves. Hank blasted a freezing wind behind them to mark the wall so they knew where to find the exit.

They kept close as they walked the leftmost path. They had no clue if they picked the right path, but they hoped for the best. 

Paulina kept her fist raised as she projected a faint light from her Ring of Eos. The dark-pink light acted as their flashlight so that they could see where they were going and possibly save themselves from any traps. 

However, no light would protect them. They approached a giant obsidian door that had assorted runes carved into the metal. Tamora whispered that the door screamed a secret forge entrance, but as her voice echoed across the rocky walls, the ground began to shake. Paulina projected a dark-pink floor beneath their feet as they anticipated the ground collapsing. Luckily, the ground remained intact. However, something did burst forth from the walls.

A quartet of creatures emerged from the wall, dressed in ancient Tibetan armor, and wielding massive metal clubs. The armored creatures swung the clubs. The impact of the clubs against the ground made everything quake beneath them. 

“Shit!” said Tamora. “Either we took a wrong turn or they’re guarding the Bladesmiths’ forge.”

Hank nodded as he placed his hand over the Snow Queen’s brooch. A cold wind arose from across his body. “Either way, we’re taking these fuckers down!” He unleashed a mighty freezing wind that lifted the armored guardians and slammed them against the wall. 

Paulina raised her Ring of Eos. “Even if we have to do it one at a time!” She projected a dark-pink club like the ones that the armored guardians wielded and pummeled a guardian with it. She bashed the guardian with the club hard enough that she smashed one to pieces, leaving only three left. 

Tamora tried blasting a guardian, but her combustive blasts alone weren’t powerful enough. Hank kept protecting his freezing wind, however, the guardians began to push back. The guardians fought against the cold, which left Paulina alone to try smashing them with the club she created from her ring. Hank made a frozen warhammer that he tried swinging at the guardians but their clubs proved stronger than his ice. 

A guardian moved behind Hank and nearly bashed him with a club when Tamora moved between them. Tamora orbed the club from the guardian then redirected the club to bash the guardian’s helmet. The club ripped the guardian’s head off, sending it collapsing to the ground.

Hank grinned as he blasted another guardian with freezing wind. “Thanks, sis!” 

“My pleasure!” Tamora tried to orb the broken club and aimed it for another guardian only for the club to shatter upon impact. The guardian remained standing and seemed angrier than before as it rampaged after her. 

Paulina projected a barrage of dark-pink spears to strike the guardian before it could reach Tamora. Hank waved his hand to freeze that guardian as he struggled to freeze the other guardian he faced. The guardian pushed against Hank’s icy wind, while Tamora backed him up again by orbing another club at the guardian with Hank’s ice causing the club to shatter against the guardian, making it stumble against the wall. 

“Enough!” The obsidian doors creaked with a blinding light washing over Tamora, Hank, and Paulina.

When the light faded, they found themselves standing in the middle of a hot forge. The forge didn’t appear quite as extravagant as they expected. The plain brick walls kept things humble enough. Steam floated from the burning fires and melted metal. Weapons of all shapes and sizes covered much of the walls but also appeared dusty from no one using them before.

They blinked as they tried to figure out how they came to the forge when they found a brown-skinned woman around Hank's age and wearing a black welders’ vest over a pair of overalls and a t-shirt. She covered her hands with thick gloves and her dark-brown hair tied into a bun, partially covered by a red bandana, with its wavy texture partially exposed from the humidity in the forge. She looked rather plain compared to how Leo made the Bladesmiths sound, which left them wondering if she even was one. 

“What the hell do you want?” she said, bluntly. “I take it that you didn’t come to smash my guardians for sport.”

Hank gulped as he found the woman rather intimidating. He bumped Tamora’s shoulder, pushing her forward. Even Paulian backed away since it was Tamora that wanted to come here. 

Tamora rolled her eyes at their cowardice. She turned to the woman. “Forgive us for our intrusion. We are looking for the Bladesmiths because we need their help. Are you the only Bladesmith here? Or are there others?”

The woman squinted her brown eyes. “I have family all over the world, but I’m the only one keeping the tradition alive. I’m Glynnis. Now, what do you want?”

“Oh.” Tamora extended her hand to Glynnis. “I’m Tamora Mitchell. I am a witch of the Halliwell family and we’re here because demons are mass-producing Darklighter poison to wipe out Whitelighters. And since some of my cousins and myself are half-Whitelighter, we wanted to do our part to save them.”

Glynnis didn’t shake Tamora’s hand. Instead, she grabbed Tamora’s hand to examine it closely, inspecting it like she would a weapon. “There isn’t much of a point in helping Whitelighters. Not after the Elders rejected the helping hand that my ancestors offered...even though the Elders were the ones that demanded our help.” Glynnis removed her welding glove to get a better feel of Tamora’s hand, especially the calluses there. “You’re someone who gets her hands dirty. But you’re not a smith.”

Tamora gulped. She shuddered from how gently Glynnis touched her hand, which reminded her of the care she took in her art. “I’m an artist. I mostly sketch and paint, but I’ve also done a lot of pottery making and started getting into sculpting.”

“Yes. Your hands make that clear.” Glynnis shifted her gaze from Tamora’s hand to Tamora herself. “I like a woman who gets them dirty.” Glynnis winked at Tamora, making her blush.

Hank coughed since he didn’t exactly find the thought of seeing a magical blacksmith hitting on his sister. “Ms. Glynnis, can you please help us? These demons work for the Hellfire Club, and I’m sure you noticed how much damage they’ve done to the world. They already killed many Cupids, including their god Eros.”

Glynnis crossed her arms. “Eros died?” She shook her head. “I haven’t left the forge in years so I know nothing about this Hellfire Club. But to kill a god and Cupids. Now Whitelighters. Fuck!” Glynnis sighed. “Alright. I’ll help. But I’m only helping you! Not the Elders. Fuck them.”

Paulina chuckled. “Oh! Then, you’d like our family. Our grandmother had an affair with her Whitelighter, while our aunt married her Whitelighter against the will of the Elders.”

“Now, I really want to help you.” 

Glynnis escorted them across the forge. She opened a box to reveal a sword that laid on a red velvet sheet. The sword appeared unlike any that they had seen before, including Excalibur. The sword looked shorter than Excalibur and the blade itself appeared from emeralds given its color. The handle itself had a simple appearance but it did have what resembled angel’s wings for guards. 

Glynnis carefully removed the sword from the box. “This is the Empyreal Sword. Over three thousand years ago, my ancestors forged it for the first Whitelighter. Its power is so great that a Whitelighter can kill over a thousand demons with it.”

Hank and Paulina’s jaws dropped. “Fuck!”

“It’s dangerous though.” Glynnis extended the Empyreal Sword to Tamroa. Tamora almost took the sword but Glynnis stopped her. “Only a Whitelighter can wield it as the sword is tied to their holy energies. It was meant for a full-fledged Whitelighter so I cannot say what could happen to someone who is only half. But…if the world is in grave danger as you say then I am willing to give it to you if you are willing to take the risk.” 

Tamora stared at the Empyreal Sword and her hand. She thought of Sandra’s request from yesterday about becoming a full-fledged Whitelighter and her hesitation. Her heart hammered against her chest. The call of destiny appeared to push her in the direction of becoming a Whitelighter, but also something else scratched at the back of her head. The Elders didn’t want Whitelighters to have this sword, to have this power to fight. She didn’t understand what it all meant or what price she might pay if she took the sword.

However, she thought of the dangers that Wyatt, Chris, and other Whitelighters faced. If they did nothing to fight back then the Whitelighters would die as easily as the Cupids. And so many witches and future Whitelighters would be lost without their guides, and no one could shepherd the continuation of good magic. The sacrifices that her family, witches, and everyone else who believed in goodness would become worthless as Seth and the Hellfire Club would grant evil the greatest victory.

Tamora took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll take the risk if it means I can protect others.” She grabbed the Empyreal Sword’s hilt, stumbling as a shocking amount of power coursed throughout her body. She dropped to her knees as she heard Paulina and Hank scream her name.

Even Glynnis appeared panicked as she feared that she didn’t properly warn Tamora of the sword’s power.

However, Tamora pushed back against the sword's power. She focused on her goals, on her heart’s desires to protect others. In keeping her goals at the forefront, the Empyreal Sword began to hum in her hand as it projected a faint emerald glow. She sighed while her eyes flashed pure white for a second. 

Tamora smiled as she turned to Hank and Paulina. “Let’s go save the Whitelighters!”

*~*

Gunfire cracked the air as the demons and Darklighters played it smart. They had weapons that could poison Wyatt and Chris, but the weapons would also prove effective enough at killing everyone if they hit the right spot. The continuous barrage of bullets put the brothers, Bianca, and Carver on the defensive as they hid behind some of the sturdier crates.

Carver covered his bleeding arm. He had shifted back to normal during the chaos of the fight as his werewolf state couldn’t handle the sheer numbers against them. “Not good! We should try to get out of here now.” 

Wyatt waved his hand around a crate and blasted a nearby demon’s leg. He moved back behind the crate. “How? They can follow our orb trail wherever we go. We have to do something to force them to retreat.”

“You’re the Twice-Blessed!” shouted Joey. “Do some deus ex machina shit!”

Chris covered his head as splinters from the crate rained on him. He glanced at a nearby mirror and fired a lightning blast to reflect the attack against the glass to vanquish an incoming Darklighter. “I don’t think we can get something that convenient.” He turned to Bianca. “It’s harder for them to follow your shimmer.”

Bianca tucked and rolled, firing an energy ball at a pair of demons. She rolled once more to another crate before the remaining demons and Darklighters could fire on her. “It’s too risky. I’ll have to take two trips, which puts anyone who gets left behind in greater danger.”

“Then, how do we get out of this one?” asked Joey.

Luckily, an eruption of dark-pink light radiated above their heads. They heard demons and Darklighters scream followed by explosions and a significant temperature drop. As the gunfire echoed at other sections of the factory, they felt brave enough to come out from their hiding spaces. As they did, they saw their reinforcements. 

The Snow Queen’s brooch shined bright while Hank blasted waves of cold air that left the demons and Darklighters as ice sculptures. He waved his hands to freeze the crates in a subzero temperature that would also make the bullets, poison, and guns useless. And from above, Paulina’s Ring of Eos glistened and covered her in a dark-pink glow as she floated above everyone. She projected blasts of dark-pink light that knocked some demons and Darklighters off their feet, while the weaker ones got vanquished.

Joey cheered. “Finally, some good news!”

Hank ceased blasting his cold wind as Paulina returned to the ground. He pointed further into the factory. “It’s about to get better. Check out Tamora!” The demons and Darklighters got cleared out of the immediate area thanks to Hank and Paulina. Everyone else looked to where Hank pointed to see sparks of light emerge everywhere, while demons and Darklighters screamed.

They walked a little until they spotted Tamora moving circles around the demons and Darklighters, while she wielded the Empyreal Sword. She moved with the grace of a ballerina, avoiding every bullet and energy ball, which was far too supernatural compared to how she normally moved. The Empyreal Sword’s emerald aura began to radiate around Tamora as she swung it at her foes.

Emerald sparks flashed everywhere with demons and Darklighters exploding. Nobody understood how that happened, however, Bianca could follow some of the movement. Her jaw dropped from following the speed that Tamora moved. Bianca explained that Tamora slashed the demons and Darklighters but moved so fast that it appeared like Tamora didn’t move much.

They caught on as Tamora made a bigger move. She jumped into the air with a pair of transparent emerald wings manifesting from her back, allowing her to fly. She floated over the demons and Darklighters before launching the Empyreal Sword like a javelin. The sword ignited a mighty shockwave that blasted almost every demon and Darklighter into the Wasteland. She remained floating in the air while she waved her hand to summon the sword back to her grip.

Everything appeared over at first.

From the carnage, Koken emerged with a traditional Darklighter crossbow. He aimed it at Tamora. “This is what we get for deviating from the old ways.” He nearly pulled the trigger without anyone noticing. 

While impossible for everyone else to hear, the Empyreal Sword amplified Tamora’s hearing. She heard the gentle click of the crossbow’s trigger. She flung the sword at Koken before he could fire the crossbow. The Empyreal Sword sailed across the factory and struck Koken’s chest. Koken gasped as he dropped the crossbow. The clunking sound caught everyone else’s attention, shocking them that Tamora foresaw the attack. Koken’s body crumbled into black orbs as he too joined the others in the Demonic Wasteland. 

The Empyreal Sword flashed to Tamora’s hand once more. She gently landed on the ground with the wings vanishing, while everyone else rushed to her side. 

“Fuck!” Joey stared at Tamora. “That was kinda hot.”

Paulina applauded. “Go, Tam!”

Hank moved to hug Tamora. “Great job, sis! You really showed those demons who the baddest Whitelighter-witch is.” Before Hank could even touch Tamora, a blast of emerald energy struck him. The blast sent Hank crashing towards a crate with everyone else screaming. Chris and Bianca ran over to help Hank, while Wyatt raised his arms. Hank muttered that he was okay as the blast merely stunned him.

Tamora’s eyes turned pure white as she squeezed onto the sword. “Get...Get. Me. Help.”

Wyatt turned to Paulina. “Why is she going nuclear on us? And what even is that sword?”

“Magic sword meant for Whitelighters to become warrior angels, but the Elders decided not to give Whitelighters the sword. Now, I think we know why.”

“In that case.” Wyatt carefully approached Tamora to avoid risking getting shocked. “How about we go to the Elders? We can see if they can help.”

Tamora nodded. Orbs swallowed her body as she ascended to the Heavens. 

Wyatt gulped. “Chris. Joey. We need to go too. It might take the Power of Three to fix Tamora. The rest of you, take Hank to the manor. We’ll be back soon. I hope.”

*~*

Like the Temple of Cupid, the Heavens of the Elders resided on a vast sea of clouds. A gold and silver temple served as the beacon of light for the region. Light-blue orb trails appeared in every direction as Whitelighters moved from and to the Heavens. 

Within the temple, a dozen Elders surrounded Tamora and the Empyreal Sword. They projected a golden light that created a barrier to keep Tamora contained as a precaution should she lose her mind from the sword’s influence. Tamora didn’t appear bothered or concerned as she stood as still as a statue. Her white eyes glowed while the sword’s emerald aura continued to surround her.

Wyatt, Chris, and Joey stood nearby. They kept closer to the Elders as they braced themselves to use the Power of Three against Tamora. They prayed it wouldn’t have to get that far.

Paige stood outside the barrier with Piper beside her. “Dear god,” whispered Paige. “Is she okay? What is the sword doing to her?”

Piper shrugged. “If it’s anything like when I held Excalibur, then it’s digging at her mind. Trying to sway her to do its bidding.”

“Not helping, Piper,” muttered Paige.

Sandra approached them with another Elder and Brody not too far. “But she is close. The Empyreal Sword is feeding on Tamora’s Whitelighter magic. I suppose that is why our predecessors refused to have the Whitelighters wield it.”

“Then,” said Piper, “we need to separate Tamora from the sword? It’s as simple as that. Right?”

“Right.” Sandra nodded her head. “However, recall how difficult it was to separate you from Excalibur.” She gestured to Brody. “That is why we asked Brody to step in. We’re hoping that him being a full Whitelighter might be enough for the sword to relinquish its hold on Tamora.”

Paige placed her hand over her heart. She resisted the urge to cry for Tamora while she met Brody’s gaze. “What if the sword does the same to you? Are you sure that you want to risk your life, Brody?”

Brody smiled and nodded. “Tamora is my Charge too. I don’t want to see her suffer like this.”

Paige muttered her thanks to Brody. Meanwhile, Brody began to approach Tamora as he braced himself to take hold of the Empyreal Sword. The Elders covering Tamora dropped their barrier as everyone feared what might happen.

Before Brody could extend his hand, a flash of dark-pink light appeared. Paulina came rushing into the Heavens with Glynnis too. “Hold it!” shouted Paulina. “I got a Bladesmith! She should know what is happening to Tamora.”  
  
Glynnis ditched her wielding gear at the forge, leaving her overalls exposed. She discarded her bandana and freed her hair from its bun, which allowed her wavy locks to bounce against her shoulders. Her eyes widened as she focused on Tamora and the Empyreal Sword. “Wow. I see it now. That’s why it is for Whitelighters.”

Paige stared at Glynnis. “Who are you?”

Glynnis smirked. “I’m a Bladesmith. My ancestors forged the Empyreal Sword.” Glynnis turned back to Tamora and carefully approached her. Tamora didn’t strike Glynnis, which allowed Glynnis the chance to touch Tamora’s hand and examine the sword. She nodded. “Yes! It’s not so much that the sword’s power is driving her mad. It is how it is absorbing her magic.”

Sandra squinted her eyes as she too approached Tamora only for Tamora to flinch. Sandra stepped back, while the other Elders prepared to trap Tamora into another barrier. Sandra urged them to remain calm. “What do you mean absorb her magic?”

“The sword is like a battery.” Glynnis waved her hand in front of Tamora’s face, which caused Tamora to smirk. Glynnis smirked back. “My ancestors enchanted it so that the sword wields great power, but that power is replenished by a Whitelighter’s holy energies. Tamora has that same energy, but the difference is that true Whitelighters are immortal and Tamora isn’t.”

Wyatt gasped. “So the sword is killing her too? And it would do the same to half-Whitelighters like us?”

Glynnis frowned. “If she keeps holding onto it then it will.”

“Then, we have to remove it from her!” said Paige.

Brody turned to Glynnis. “If I take it, will that help her?”

Glynnis nodded. “It should.”

Brody went to touch the sword, but Tamora swatted his hand. Everyone gasped as they feared that the Empyreal Sword would force Tamora to fight them. Tamora closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. She sighed as she pushed the burning weight that the sword projected onto her body.

Tamora turned her gaze to Sandra and the Elders. “Change the rules.” Her hand shook as she squeezed onto the sword’s grip. “I wish to use this sword to fight the Hellfire Club. But Whitelighters need the power to fight. Their Charges need protection. And Whitelighters need the protection too. You have the power to fight, but sit in the Heavens while Whitelighters are defenseless and wander on the frontlines, dying for the Greater Good!”

Tamora slammed her foot to the ground. She struck the sword to the floor, cracking the brilliant marble floor. “I don’t want to become a Whitelighter. Not yet. But I also want justice for the Whitelighters who died defenseless and for future Whitelighters!”

Glynnis smirked as she admired Tamora’s guts. “Artists are such idealists. They always have their heads in the clouds” She turned to Sandra. “The sword has another function too. My ancestors forged only one sword, but the sword acts like a network. So long as it comes into contact with one Whitelighter then it can instantly share its power with every Whitelighter, while also absorbing their immortal energies. It’ll make it safe enough for Tamora to continue using it and give your Whitelighters offensive abilities. Only full Whitelighters. Hybrids like Whitelighter-witches won’t benefit from it since they already have other sources of magic to draw power from.”

Piper pointed at the ground. “It might do us some good since we’re in the middle of the Apocalypse. We need more fighters. Not less.”

Sandra turned to her fellow Elders. They heard the clicking sound as the Elders spoke in their secret language. After what felt like an eternity, Sandra turned to Glynnis then nodded. “How can they share the power?”

Glynnis took Brody’s hand and brought him over to Tamora. She placed his hand on the Empyreal Sword with its emerald aura beginning to swallow Brody too. “Here we go.” Glynnis closed her eyes as she began to recite an ancient language. The words unleashed powerful magic that caused the ground to quake beneath them. 

Brody’s eyes turned white for a split second before his and Tamora’s eyes returned to their natural color. Tamora began to smile as she felt her body relaxing and the sword didn’t feel quite as heavy in her hand.

Glynnis nodded. “It is done. Show us what you can do, Mr. Whitelighter!”

“Right.” Brody raised his hand. A white orb manifested from the palm of his hand which he flung at a nearby column. The orb generated a controlled explosion that didn’t destroy the column but left a nasty scorch mark. “I can control the damage. I got a little scared that it might bring the place down.” He wiggled his fingers as another orb manifested. “This will take some getting used to.”

Glynnis patted Brody’s back. “That’s the advantage of the sword being meant for Whitelighters. You can naturally exert more control than mortals.” She went over to Tamora. She touched the sword and Tamora’s hand once more to gauge things. “How are you feeling? Calm? Collected? In control?”

Tamora noded. “Yeah. I feel like me again.”

“That means it worked. Now, you’ll probably notice you’re not as powerful as when you first grabbed the sword because you’re sharing the power with all Whitelighters.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Tamora smiled at Glynnis for a long moment. Glynnis only winked at her as she stepped aside so that Paige could step in to hug Tamora. Tamora choked a little from the tight mom hug. “Love you too, mom!”

Paige gasped. “Sorry, honey. You scared me. I was worried that I might lose you.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Tamora hugged Paige back, making sure not to accidentally stab her with the sword. She caught a glimpse of Glynnis punching Brody’s arm and telling him to orb her back to the forge. Tamora smiled at Glynnis once more before Brody orbed them from the Heavens.

Meanwhile, Sandra approached Tamora and Paige, her arms folded over her chest. “I take it that you were serious about not becoming a proper Whitelighter.”

Tamora nodded. “For now, at least. I have a lot that I want to accomplish and there’s more good than I can do aside from being a Whitelighter.” Tamora stared at the Empyreal Sword and smiled as it flashed with an emerald glow. She turned to Sandra. “Ask me again after we stop the Hellfire Club.”

“We?” Chris had his hands behind his back.

“Damn right!” Tamora raised the Empyreal Sword, pointing it at Chris. “You’re not going to face the Hellfire Club alone. We’re all going to help you!”

Paulina raised her fist, pointing her Ring of Eos at Joey and Wyatt too. “We already discussed it with PJ and Hank. When you have your final showdown with the Hellfire Club, we’ll be there to fight at your side! They got the powers of the Source of All Evil at their disposal and you’ll have the power of the baddest generation of Halliwell witches with you to kick some serious ass!”

Joey chuckled as he pushed Paulina to lower her arm before she accidentally shot them in the face. “It isn’t a bad idea to have help. They did save our asses today. And...pretty much every time we really needed them.”

“You’re right.” Wyatt stared at Tamora and Paulina. “We do this together. As a family.”

“Well, family!” Piper clapped her hands. “How about we get home and have dinner? I don’t know about you but I am starved and exhausted.”

“Amen!” said Chris. “Let’s go home.”

They left the Heavens and back to the manor to share the news and a meal with the rest of the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Get ready for the next chapter because you're all cordially invited to the wedding of Chris and Bianca! And, since it is a Charmed wedding, brace yourselves for more dramaaaaa!


	37. Time for the Groom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hell yeah! I finished an extra chapter for all you good kiddos this week! I'm going to try and post two additional chapters for the next two weeks since I'm free from my teaching work. We'll see if I can reach that goal.
> 
> I hope you enjoy Chris and Bianca's wedding adventures! Also, we have a special guest character returning from the original series. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

The Charmed One’s wedding curse loomed over Chris and Bianca’s head as they finally became victims. Chris couldn’t believe how their luck ran out as it did for his mother, his aunts, and Joey. While not the worst thing that could happen, it left him in despair as he sat with Bianca in their wedding planner Ramona’s office.

They frantically searched through the files for other possible locations while they made phone calls just three days before the wedding.

Chris shook his head. He tossed another stack of closed venues onto the desk. “I still can’t believe that the château caught on fire. How are we going to find another place that will take fifty people, plus catering staff, on such short notice?”

“I don’t know.” Bianca crossed off another venue from their list since it also had a booking that same day. She began to massage her forehead and groan. “What can we do? Do we cancel and reschedule? But we’ll lose our deposits for everything else.”

“Fuck.” Chris turned to Ramona. “Any luck with the Silver Wings Hall?”

Ramona shook her head, her blond locks swaying against her face as she hung up the phone. “They have a quinceanera booked the same day.” Ramona scrolled through her list. She knocked out everything she knew for certain would have a booking to find anything that had a decent shot of having an availability. “I’m not sure where else we can go. Unless we raise the budget significantly.”

“Which we can’t.” Bianca folded her arms against her chest. “Our current budget ate up most of our funds. There isn’t much money we have left to spare even from getting our deposit back from the old venue.”

Chris tried to figure out what they could do. He ignored the buzzing in his pants as his phone started to vibrate. He sent the call to voicemail since saving his wedding took top priority. “What if we try something outdoors like a park? The weather report said there are clear skies all week. Let me double check first.” He grabbed his phone to see that Joey left a voicemail that he ignored. He checked the weather app while Bianca and Ramona debated the possibility of an outdoor wedding.

“I think it could work,” said Ramona, “if weather permits. I have a contact at Golden Gate Park that might be able to help us.”

“I’m not a fan of outdoor weddings, but we’re desperate,” said Bianca. “Maybe we can give it a try.”

Chris nodded. “The weather is clear.” His phone buzzed again as he saw a chain of texts coming in from Joey. The first thing that came to mind was that Joey and Wyatt needed help rescuing an innocent. However, the texts only demanded that Chris called Joey back. Chris rolled his eyes as he made the call. “What do you want, Joey? We’re busy trying to save the wedding.”

“Then, call me Superman because I think I just saved the day! Put me on speaker.” Joey’s voice boomed loud enough that Bianca and Ramona didn’t need the speaker, but Chris did so. “Hey, Bianca! It’s your favorite brother-in-law.”

Bianca sighed. “Get to the point, Joey. I’m not in the mood to play. I’m about to go bridezilla.”

“How about I found you a venue!” They gasped as they hadn’t expected Joey to come at them with that announcement. Joey chuckled as he could hear their shock from the phone. “My boss Martha has a friend that bought P3 and turned it into a banquet hall. I gave them a call and they have an opening for the 7th! I got them to put the date on a temporary hold until you could give them a call.”

“No way!” said Chris and Bianca.

Ramona took notes of the venue choice. “Sounds promising. Quick question, what’s P3?”

Joey’s voice picked up. “Oh, hey Ramona. Yeah. P3 is a nightclub that our mom used to own. She closed it down and sold it a few years ago to focus on the restaurant.” 

“Interesting,” said Ramona.

Chris turned to Bianca. The thought of getting married at Piper’s old nightclub had a certain appeal to him, but he didn’t know if Bianca would want to get married there. “P3 is big enough to fit everyone.” Chris grinned. “Are you cool with that?”

Bianca bit her lip. “You know...I actually used to go to P3 back in my undergrad years.”

“Really?” asked Chris. “I never knew that.”

Bianca nodded as she gently grabbed Chris’s hand. “I think it’s perfect.”

Ramona squealed. “Fabulous! Joey, can you text Chris all the information? I’ll call them right away.”

“You got it!” Joey hung up to get to work on saving Chris and Bianca’s wedding.

*~*

That evening, Wyatt and Gordon left a leather bar in the Castro. Wyatt wore a pair of leather chaps over his jeans and a vintage leather jacket, while Gordon wore a leather vest with his jeans. They giggled from the messiness of the night with their bodies drenched in sweat. They made sure not to drink too much or let the night get too out of hand since they had Chris’s bachelor party soon, especially now that Chris and Bianca secured a new wedding venue.

Wyatt kissed Gordon’s neck. “That was fun. We should go back after the wedding.”

Gordon licked his lips and squeezed Wyatt’s hand. “I’m down. But next time, you should wear a harness and leave the jeans at home.” He winked, which made Wyatt chuckle. “Let Mats make his OnlyFans comeback.”

“Haha!” Wyatt wrapped his arms around Gordon’s waist, squeezing his butt. “As fun as they would be, Alessandro and Cristina might start fighting me for custody of Selena again. I’d rather not take the risk.” He kissed Gordon again. “Although, maybe I can give you a private show tonight. At your place.”

“I’d like that.” Gordon kissed Wyatt back, their tongues sliding against each other. Their bulges rubbing together with a few pedestrians noticing and getting aroused from the scene.

Wyatt stopped things before it got too hot and heavy. The last thing he needed to do was get an orgy started in the middle of the street. However, as Wyatt stopped kissing Gordon, he picked up on something else. A dark presence made the hairs on Wyatt’s body stand on end. He closed his eyes until he could hear crying nearby.

Wyatt grabbed Gordon’s hand and muttered for him to behind him. Gordon understood that it meant that they had a demon lurking in the area. Gordon kept close as Wyatt led him towards an alleyway, which screamed a demonic hotspot. 

As they entered the alleyway, they could hear whimpering and a slurping sound. To the untrained ear, it would sound like someone having sex, but Wyatt knew better. They spotted a figure pinning someone against the brick wall. Wyatt had Gordon grab his phone and use it as a flashlight to identify the demon. 

The bright light illuminated a pale-skinned figure biting into the next of a glassy-eyed young man who looked faint with blood trickling down his neck. Wyatt yelled, which caused the pale-skinned figure to reveal his fangs. The vampire had blood covering his face.

The vampire gulped when he saw Wyatt and immediately released the young man, allowing him to fall to the ground. The vampire began to back away but Wyatt conjured a force field around the vampire, which he couldn’t escape from. Even as vampires had immunity to witches’ powers, they didn’t have immunity to Whitelighter powers. 

Wyatt clenched his fist, while he had Gordon try to stop the bleeding from the young man’s neck. “You’re not going anywhere, buddy.”

“Please!” The vampire collapsed to his knees inside of Wyatt’s force field. “Charmed One! Don’t vanquish me. Uh! I know how to help you!”

Wyatt squinted his eyes. “Help with what?”

The vampire brushed the blood from his mouth. “The Hellfire Club. I know something that might help you defeat them.”

“You’d sell out the Club?” Wyatt tilted his head. He maintained the barrier, not budging in the slightest to let the vampire escape. “You do know that Lamia is a member? Do you really think it’s a good idea to betray the Vampire Queen?”

“No, but not all demons are loyal to the Club. Some of us like how things are. We don’t want things to change more than they have.” The vampire pressed his hands against Wyatt’s barrier. “The Seer knows the Hellfire Club’s secrets. She was Zurie’s apprentice. She must know their weaknesses!”

Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Be more specific. Seer is a title, not a name.”

“Kyra! The Seer Kyra! She knows.” The vampire collapsed to his knees, begging for freedom. Wyatt looked away from the vampire as he tried to recall that name. It took a moment, but it clicked as Wyatt remembered a Seer named Kyra that helped his mom and aunts with the Avatars. He waved his hand to remove the barrier. The vampire wept. “Thank you! Thank you, Charmed One!”

The vampire started to run, but Wyatt didn’t allow him to escape. Wyatt orbed a wooden bar from a broken shipping pallet into the vampire’s heart, dusting him.

Wyatt went to the bleeding young man and began to heal him before he died. “Kyra.” Wyatt shook his head. “Figures she’d know something.”

Gordon rubbed Wyatt’s arm. “Who’s Kyra? Is she a friend?”

“Not really.” Wyatt finished patching up the young man. The young man remained dazed from the vampire draining his blood so Wyatt and Gordon stuck around until he recovered enough to move. “She was a demon that helped my mom and aunts. She did so with the promise of becoming human, but another demon vanquished her before she could get her wish.”

“So she’s dead.” Gordon sighed. “There goes your lead in stopping the Hellfire Club.”

Wyatt nodded. “Yup. Another dead end.” However, Wyatt had something digging at the back of his mind. The vampire might have given them the lead that they desperately needed. Wyatt wondered if maybe they could still get Kyra’s help despite her tragic death.

*~*

On the eve of the Halliwell-Rojas wedding, rambunctious cheers echoed across a dive bar near the pier. Wyatt held onto a funnel while everyone watched the rowdy scene. Wyatt kept the funnel stable as Joey poured the mug of beer and forced Chris to drink. 

“Chug, fucker!” shouted Steve and Vinnie. “Chug!” 

Gordon and Carver laughed as they recorded everything. Chad and Hank cheered too as did the rest of the bachelor party. 

Chris wanted to die. He drank all the beer even as some of it spilled onto his clothes. He threw his fist into the air, making everyone holler. Their cheers kept things lively at the bar as the other patrons vibed with the bachelor party since they weren’t too much of a mess. 

“To the death of a bachelor!” Wyatt raised the funnel and his beer. “Cheers to my little brother, Christopher Perry Halliwell!”

“Woo! Chris!” 

Chris coughed from the cheap beer. He begged for someone to hand him some water to wash the beer taste out. One of Bianca’s cousins, a bronze-skinned man with dirty-blonde hair gave Chris water. “Thanks, Marco.” Chris sipped the water and immediately burped. He started to regret his life choices. “Oh fuck! Tomorrow’s hangover is going to suck!”

Marco laughed. “You’ll get over it. Witches are tough.” He sipped his beer. “And thanks again for inviting us, Chris. Kyle and I appreciate it.” He pointed at a paler-complected man with dark-brown hair that stood next to Carver and Vinnie.

Chris nodded. “No problem. You’ve been pretty cool with us even if the rest of your family’s been kind of lukewarm to our relationship.”

“True. Bianca might’ve changed our business model, but it’s hard to change generations of Phoenix attitudes overnight.” Marco cheers Chris before taking off to chat with Hank and Wyatt. 

As Chris recovered from the funnel chug, Kyle patted him on the back. Kyle gave Chris a shot glass, which already gave Chris heartburn from looking at it. “Drink up, whore,” said Kyle. “It’ll put some more hairs on that chest.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “The hair isn’t a problem.”

“And he’s already a whore!” Joey snuck up behind Chris, kissing his cheek. While not drunk, Joey had enough to drink that he got a little messy. Luckily, Carver could hold his liquor and keep Joey from making too much of an ass of himself. “He fucked an old lady for camera equipment. But I can’t judge him too harshly. Wyatt and I have done worse.”

Kyle laughed as he made Chris take the shot. “Ah, so you’re not too different from us after all.”

Chris’s throat burned as he swallowed the tequila. He burped. “Fuck! I hate all of you.”

“Of course you do!” Joey tugged onto Chris’s arm. “Now! Onto the next phase of the bachelor party! Everyone, get into the Ubers! We’re relocating!”

They followed Joey and Chris out of the dive bar. They wandered into the city, illuminated by all the streets and building lights. They didn’t get too lost since three SUVs parked in front of the building. They crowded into the vehicles with the drivers taking them to the next location.

Luckily for everyone’s party buzz, the next venue wasn’t too far. The drivers stopped closer to the pier at a brightly lit club. A decent crowd gathered there, which only got bigger because of the bachelor party. Joey blew the bouncer a kiss since the bouncer was a customer of Big Nicks who gave them a free pass into the club.

Strobe lights flashed and people danced everywhere. The club had platforms where male, female, and nonbinary go go dancers shook their asses for the crowd. More cheers followed. The beats of the music vibrated against the walls and bodies, renewing the energy for the bachelor party.

“Look at those dirty bitch boys!” Raja squealed as she came running after the bachelor party with Jessica and PJ. Paulina and Tamora stuck to dancing with a few other girls from Bianca’s bachelorette party, including Bianca’s cousins Laura and Nicole. Raja kissed Chris’s cheek. “And there’s the biggest bitch boy of them all! About time you made it.”

Chris chuckled. “Missed you too, Raja.”

“Did you miss me?” Bianca joined the party as she stood dressed in a low-cut black dress.

“Always, my beautiful bride.” Chris stumbled when he tried to slide over to Bianca, which made her laugh. Chris laughed too as he covered his face. “I’m a little drunk.”

Bianca kissed him. “I’m a little drunk too. Try not to get more than a little drunk. I don’t want you to look hungover in our wedding photos.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“Party foul!” shouted Hank before burping. “Don’t let Bianca boss you around already, Chris! This is your last night as a freeman.”

Jessica punched Hank’s arm but stumbled since also drank a little too much. “Shut up, Hank! Don’t listen to him, Chris. The woman is always right!”

Chris and Bianca rolled their eyes as they decided to ignore their friends and family and instead enjoy the night by dancing.

*~*

Recovering from last night proved far more brutal than Chris anticipated. Everyone else struggled too as the bachelor party crew appeared like a miserable mess for brunch. However, their greasy breakfast proved effective in helping them recover faster. 

Now, Chris could focus and get ready for the wedding. He got ready at their apartment, while Bianca stayed at a hotel with Jessica and Raja to have something more elegant while they got ready. He made final adjustments to his forest green suit. The collar felt off and he swore the left sleeve looked shorter than the right one. He even sent Joey to his bedroom to get his other bowties because he disliked the one that originally agreed to wear.

Wyatt and Hank rolled their eyes, while they stood in matching mint green suits. Hank waved his head, pushing Wyatt to take care of things.

Wyatt grabbed the black bowtie and held Chris by his shoulders. “Chill the fuck out.” Wyatt forced Chris to stand still as he put the bowtie on for Chris. “If you keep freaking out then you’ll give yourself a heart attack. Everything looks good. You look good. So relax.” Wyatt tightened the bowtie, making sure that the knot appeared perfect. “This is your wedding day so enjoy it.”

Chris smirked. “Thanks, Wyatt.”

Hank glanced at his phone. “And look at us. We got three hours to spare. Should we take a pre-wedding shot?”

“No,” said Chris and Wyatt. Hank backed away as he left to call Jessica to see how things looked with Bianca. 

The butterflies fluttered in Chris’s stomach. He turned to the mirror, staring at his reflection. He started fiddling with his hair again when Wyatt swatted his hands. “Right. I look good.” Chris sighed. “I’m good. The venue is secure. Ramona already checked in to let me know everything else is running smoothly. Everything is perfect!”

Wyatt nodded. He grinned as he stood beside Chris, happy that he’d soon see Chris get married. However, his mind drifted to Hank mentioning how much time they had before the wedding and the vampire from the other night mentioning that Kyra the Seer knew valuable information about the Hellfire Club. it seemed too perfect an opportunity to overlook. “Chris, since we got time, there’s something we should discuss.”

“Oh my god!” Joey screamed. 

Chris cringed and ignored Wyatt as he ran to his bedroom. “Dammit! I jinxed it.” 

Wyatt gulped and chased after Chris. They went to the bedroom closet to find Joey kneeling in his navy-blue suit with ties and bowties on the floor. Wyatt wanted to make a joke but stopped when he noticed Joey staring at something. Wyatt gasped. “Is that a strap on!”

Joey pointed at the box with a grin. “Chris! You bottom!”

“Fucking hell!” Chris ran into the closet and started to shove Joey out. He would deal with cleaning the mess later since he had worse things to deal with now. “Forget what you saw! It’s my wedding day, but I have no problem with vanquishing you both!” Chris slammed the door shut, while Joey whispered that the size of the strap on which made Wyatt gasp again. Chris growled at them. “Forget. It!”

“Yes, sir.” Joey and Wyatt giggled as they turned to each other.

Chris shook his head. “Subject change.” He turned to Wyatt. “You wanted to discuss something? And it better not involved my sex life.”

Wyatt stopped giggling. His witch brain took control as he needed to discuss something serious. “Yeah. In fact, Joey, you need to hear it too. I fought a vampire the other day who knew of someone that has information on the Hellfire Club. Something that might help us stop them.”

“No way!” said Joey. “Who?”

“The Seer, Kyra.”

Chris squinted his eyes. “Kyra? Didn’t Zankou vanquish her during the Avatar mess?”

Wyatt nodded. “That’s her. I think we should try to get her.”

Joey tilted his head. “How? Are you suggesting we resurrect a demon?”

“You’re resurrecting a demon?” Hank walked into the bedroom. He stuffed his phone into his pocket. “I don’t think Bianca will like that. And it sounds like it might run out the clock for the wedding.” Chris and Joey agreed, however, Wyatt had something else in mind.

Wyatt tried to grin but looked more like an anxious mess. “Actually, I was thinking that we should try time traveling instead.”

“No!” Chris, Joey, and Hank’s jaws dropped from that suggestion.

“Yes. I think it's our best means of getting Kyra. And, we need her help. If she knows anything that can stop the Hellfire Club or she knows their master plan then I think it's worth the risk. And we should do it now before the wedding starts.”

Joey turned to Chris since he didn’t know what to make of Wyatt’s idea. “Well...it's your day. We’ll follow your lead.”

Chris shook his head but sighed. The possibility of stopping the Hellfire Club proved too great of a temptation to ignore. “We make it fast. What’s your plan?”

*~*

Before they took the gamble of time travel, Chris had enough brains to warn Bianca what might happen. He promised that he’d return before the wedding started, however, they understood that time travel always had unintended consequences. Even with Wyatt’s plan, they approached their trip to the past as potentially ending in disaster especially when it came to saving Kyra.

The brothers left Hank to spread the word to everyone else, while they returned to the manor to get ready for their trip to the past. 

Joey left his suit jacket on a box while he drew a triquetra with chalk on the basement wall. He drew it as perfectly as he could since he didn’t want to get blamed for fucking up the time travel spell. He stuffed the chalk into his pocket and brushed the dust onto his shirt’s sleeve as he stared at his triquetra.

Joey shrugged. “It’s a good thing that the other Chris wrote his time travel spell into the Book of Shadows. I’d hate to face Zankou without our powers.”

Meanwhile, Wyatt and Chris finished copying the spells from the Book of Shadows that they needed.

“Are we ready?” asked Joey.

Wyatt folded the piece of paper into his pocket. “Yeah. Okay, so everyone remembers the plan, right?”

Chris nodded. “Of course. It’s not that complicated.”

“Right.” Joey crossed his arms. “The problem is what do we do if we fuck up? We’re going to save Kyra right before Zankou kills her to minimize the damage to the timestream. What happens if we slip up or if Zankou catches us?”

“Zankou is one of the toughest demons that mom faced,” said Chris. “Even if we go into the past with our active powers, we risk losing the Power of Three since mom, Phoebe, and Paige are the Charmed Ones of that time. And if we fight Zankou, it could radically change time, especially if we end up being the ones to vanquish him.”

“Let’s focus on one thing at a time.” Wyatt grabbed the Book of Shadows which remained open on the time travel spell. 

Chris and Joey hesitated for a second but still joined Wyatt. They stood in front of the triquetra and began to recite the spell, focusing on the particular moment in time that they needed to go. “ _Hear these words, hear the rhyme. Heed the hope within my mind. Send me back to where I’ll find what I wish in place and time._ ”

As they recited the words, the magic activated their portal through time. The triquetra flashed before shifting into a vortex of blue and white energy that appeared to go on forever. 

Wyatt left the Book of Shadows on a box with Joey’s suit jacket. He grabbed Chris and Joey’s hands. “Remember. Stick to the plan. We keep the potential damage to the absolute minimum.” He knew he didn’t need to stress the words as Chris and Joey understood the potential ramifications. But he still felt compelled to repeat himself before they took the leap of faith.

They jumped into the portal, which transported them across time.

Over twenty years in the past, a similar portal opened in the manor’s basement. The silhouette of the triquetra flashed as they jumped from the portal. It soon closed behind them with no traces of a portal ever existing.

Chris groaned as he could already feel a headache forming. “Did it work?”

Wyatt stared at the basement while ignoring his headache too. “Yup. The basement doesn’t have as much clutter. They kept the basement pretty empty since they always had to worry about the Nexus and the Woogyman.”

Joey gulped and tapped his foot on the concrete. He didn’t have a headache like Wyatt and Chris, possibly because a younger version of him didn’t exist at this time. “Should we worry about that too? I don’t remember the Woogyman Banishing spell.” 

“One problem at a time.” Wyatt grabbed another piece of paper. “Phase two. Vanishing spell then we go to the attic and wait for Zankou to strike.” Chris and Joey nodded as they gathered to his side, touching his shoulders. “ _Let the witches in question become but a dream as we cause the witches to become unseen._ ”

Lights swirled around them, making them invisible to everyone, including each other. Luckily, since they already touched each other, they didn’t have to do a confusing dance of trying to find each other. Wyatt orbed them up to the attic so they could move onto the next stage of their plan.

The attic appeared even more cluttered than they remembered. However, everything had enough familiarity with them that they could find the Book of Shadows and potion materials if they needed them. For now, they focused on saving Kyra who they saw standing in front of a mirror.

Kyra appeared as a beautiful woman and, much like Bianca, contrasted against her deadly secrets. Her dark curls bounced over her creamy shoulders as she paraded around in a lacy pink dress. She didn’t look like a scary demon in the slightest, which reinforced to them why she wanted to become a human. She blinked in their direction but didn’t appear to notice anyone present as she walked away from the mirror.

Footsteps echoed as they heard Piper’s voice. They recognized their mother without much trouble even as she looked a few pounds lighter, had less gray hairs, and dressed a little more fashionably. 

“You know, I don’t think Phoebe would mind throwing in some shoes,” said the younger Piper.

Kyra looked at herself as she noticed her bare feet. She smiled. “Oh no. Thanks, but I won’t need them. As soon as I’m human, I’m hoping your guy will orb me to Golden Gate Park and I can finally run through that grass!”

Kyra and younger Piper kept chatting with the brothers watching closely. So far, Zankou showed no signs of appearing which made them concerned that they may have appeared too soon.

Everyone heard clicking outside the attic as a younger Phoebe joined them with the younger Piper asking about the spell to make Kyra human. Joey vaguely recalled that Zankou disguised himself as Phoebe, but he didn’t dare speak up since he wasn’t sure if he remembered that correctly. He focused on keeping a close watch to see how things progressed. 

The conversation briefly drifted to Leo and Paige before the younger Piper left the attic to get the spell. Kyra and the younger Phoebe got left alone as they began to chat. Everything appeared calm as the younger Phoebe complimented Kyra’s appearance. However, the younger Phoebe did slip up, which made Joey squeeze Wyatt’s shoulder. Wyatt nodded as he took the hint but still had to wait.

“I think it's more appropriate for a funeral,” said the younger Phoebe, “don’t you, Kyra?”

Kyra’s eyes widened. “Wait. How did you一”

Younger Phoebe grabbed Kyra’s neck. In the blink of the eye, younger Phoebe shifted in appearance to reveal a tall, handsome man with piercing dark eyes. He dressed in worn-leather clothing and chainmail. He grinned as he kept Kyra restrained. “Hello, sugar,” Zankou said, his voice deep and quite seductive. 

Kyra glared at him, while slightly thrashing against his grip. “Did I call you that ever? What I meant to say was, hello, swirling particles of scum!” 

Zankou smirked. “You always were amusing. But still, I can’t allow you to betray us all to save your own ass.” Zankou shoved Kyra across the attic. He raised his hands as he projected a blast of swirling particles that would surely vanquish Kyra.

Kyra started to scream as she braced herself for the coming pain and her death.

Chris and Joey squeezed Wyatt’s shoulders as they had their signal. Wyatt didn’t hesitate as he raised his hands and activated his projection powers. Light erupted from his palms. He drew more power from his brothers to stop time, but in doing so he also reversed their invisibility. They returned in full view as time stopped for everyone except for Kyra. 

Wyatt gulped as they rushed towards a petrified Kyra. “That worked!”

Joey nodded when he turned his gaze onto Zankou, expecting Zankou to show that he was immune to Wyatt’s magic. When Joey looked at Zankou, he whistled. “Damn! Zankou is daddy as fuck!”

Wyatt looked back to see Zankou in person and not a poor illustration from the Book of Shadows. “Yeah. He's a total fox!"

Chris smacked Joey and Wyatt. “Focus with your brains! Not your bussies!”

“What the hell!” Kyra’s voice echoed across the attic. The initial shock passed as she stared at the particles that nearly reached her. She turned to the brothers as Wyatt tried to assure her that she was safe now. Instead, she punched Wyatt’s chest. “What took you so long! I thought you were really going to let me die!”

They gasped. “What?”

Joey shook his head. “You knew we were coming here to save you?”

“Uh, yeah! I’m a Seer!” Kyra stepped aside from Zankou’s attack. She flipped him off as she turned to the brothers. “As soon as Piper had a second kid, I wanted to know if she’d have a third one." She pointed at Joey. "Wish she does. So I wanted to make sure to protect my ass by never getting on her bad side. So, what’s next, Charmed Ones? I only saw you coming. I didn’t see how you’d rescue me.”

Chris went into his pocket. “We planned on creating a magical double to take your place while we take you to our time.”

Kyra nodded. “Good plan. So let’s get moving. Time is a delicate thing and I’d like to leave before Zankou unfreezes himself.”

They nodded, knowing not to risk any more time than they already did. They stared at the paper and recited the spell. “ _To escape an untimely demise, we make this demon a double. By Power of Three, we help her now to escape this trouble._ ”

Light washed over Kyra as the spell created a perfect duplicate of her. The duplicate Kyra blinked as it stood in the spot where the real Kyra once stood. 

Joey adjusted the duplicate a little so that it stood perfectly in range of Zankou’s attack. “Okay. So when we unfreeze things, you scream. Okay?”

“Okay,” said the duplicate. 

Kyra stared at the duplicate and shook her head. “She’s not as pretty as me, but it will do.” She ran to grab Chris and Joey’s arms as she dragged them away from Zankou. “Okay, Wyatt! We leave the rest to you.”

“Right.” Wyatt got behind Zankou as Chris orbed them downstairs to prep the time travel spell. He waited until they were gone before he unfroze time. As time resumed its natural flow, he orbed down to the basement before Zankou could realize what happened. 

Zankou’s attack struck the duplicate Kyra. He grinned as he watched the particle swarm consume the duplicate without realizing that the brothers tricked him. He stepped aside as he heard footsteps and sensed orbing. “It’s good to be back.” Flames covered his body as he vanished for the Underworld.

*~*

Traveling across time once more, the brothers managed to prevent destroying time and space from their actions. They returned to the manor of the present with Kyra to find no major changes occurring. They prayed that it remained as such as they set out the call that they had Kyra.

Piper, Leo, Phoebe, and Paige rushed to the manor to find Kyra alive and well. The tearful reunion moved the brothers as they saw for themselves that their adventure was worth the risk.

As things settled down, they gathered in the sunroom where Wyatt attempted to ask Kyra about the Hellfire Club. However, Kyra raised a finger to his lips. She grinned. “Nope. I had a deal with your parents and aunties.” Kyra pointed at Leo. “My soul?”

Leo shrugged. “I’m not an Elder anymore. I gave up my wings years ago.”

Piper pointed at herself and her sisters. “And we’re not the Charmed Ones anymore, so we don’t have the power to help you.”

“Boo!” Kyra sighed. “So what about our deal?”

“Do you know anything about the Hellfire Club?” asked Wyatt. “As much as we hate to ask more of you, they’re a serious threat. I met a vampire who said that you’re related to Zurie.”

Kyra waved her hand. “Related is a loose term. We come from the same tribe of Seers. I do know Zurie though. She’s part of the reason why I wanted to become human. I wanted no part of her plans.”

Phoebe approached Kyra. “Have you had a vision about Seth Turner? He’s the reincarnation of the son that I had with Cole. And he now has the Source’s powers.”

“Oh!” Kyra gasped. “So...those visions make sense.” She turned to the brothers. “I foresaw someone that matched Seth’s description with Zurie and her comrades. They do some pretty horrific stuff. I’ll tell you what you want to know. But first.”

Paige chuckled. “You want to become human.”

Joey glanced in the living room to see Chris on the phone with Bianca. “We’ll honor the bargain in exchange for your help.” Joey looked at Kyra. “I take it you’ll share the visions with me as you did with Aunt Phoebe.”

“Not this time.” She pointed at her forehead. “I can just tell you because you don't need any convincing like they did with the Avatars.”

Light-blue orbs descended from the ceiling. Brody appeared, dressed appropriately in a suit for the wedding, while he carried a lit red candle. 

Brody approached Kyra who attempted to back away. Brody smirked. “I’m not here to hurt you, Kyra.”

“You sure?” Kyra looked at Brody closely, while Chris returned from the living room. “I triggered dozens of visions to see what happened since my ‘death.’ And I know that Whitelighters have combat powers now. And...since I did help the Avatars.”

“We’re good.” Brody gave Kyra the candle. “Now, if we met ten years sooner, I’d probably try to kill you. But as a Whitelighter, I’ve grown. I gave up the baggage that I carried as a human.” He grabbed a sheet of paper and handed it to the brothers while pointing at the candle. “That’s why when they decided to go back in time to save you, I spoke with the Elders about fulfilling their end of the bargain. That candle represents your human soul. And that’s the Power of Three spell you need to make it happen.”

Kyra grinned. “Thank you, Brody.” She stepped away from everyone else. She didn’t know how the spell might respond so she wanted enough distance as a precaution. “Okay! Let’s make this happen!”

The brothers stared at the paper as they recited the spell. “ _The Power of Three now acts as one. To make this demon come undone,_ ” said Wyatt, Chris, and Joey. “ _We vanish the powers and evil of she. Now bless her with humanity._ ”

The lights in the manor flickered while the candle blew itself out. They almost feared that the spell failed when the candle melted itself into a pile of wax on Kyra’s hands. The wax grew to cover Kyra’s body and soon faded from sight. A mighty warmth arose from Kyra’s heart, making her gasp for a second. 

Kyra began to cry. She kept her hands over her heart as she almost wheezed as she spoke. “I...I feel it!” Kyra smiled. “My soul.”

Kyra laughed as she started to wipe the tears aside. Phoebe came up to hug Kyra, which left Kyra feeling more joy than she couldn’t feel before as a demon. “It feels so good!” Kyra fought to stop herself from crying. “It’s everything I imagined and more.”

Phoebe pulled away from Kyra and smiled. “We’re so happy for you.”

Chris nodded as he crossed his arms. “Now, you have some information to share about the Hellfire Club.”

“Right.” Kyra sniffled as Brody handed her a box of tissues. She wiped the remaining tears away as she turned to the brothers. “We’ll talk later.”

“Seriously!” shouted Wyatt. “You promised.”

Kyra waved her hands. “I know! I know! But...aren’t you a little late to your wedding, Chris?”

Chris’s eyes widened. He checked the time on his phone. “Shit! She’s right. We need to get to P3 and fast.” He grabbed Wyatt and Joey’s hands. “Move it, people! And someone please get that woman some shoes. She can’t come to my wedding barefoot. Bianca will kill us all.”

Kyra shook her head as she almost allowed herself to relax when Chris’s words caught her off guard. “I’m invited to your wedding?”

“Yes!” Chris began to orb Wyatt and Joey to the wedding venue. “Now, hurry!”

Piper laughed as she gestured to Kyra to follow her upstairs so that she could get some shoes.

*~*

At the Bay Landing Hall, formally known as P3, the Halliwell-Rojas wedding began. 

Due to the last-minute changes, Ramona redesigned everything. She had the white wedding arch brought to the space that they would also use for the dance floor. The arch had gardenias and tulips wrapped around it, allowing for a pop of color. Meanwhile, the guests would sit at their tables and watch the beautiful scene unfold. 

Everyone gathered there, including Kyra who acted as a plus one for Paulina. Kyra sat at the table with Phoebe and Paige’s families, grinning as she didn’t expect to celebrate her first day of being truly human at a Charmed One’s wedding. She chuckled at herself as she could only imagine how furious this would make Zankou to know that she cheated death.

Everything looked beautiful as excitement for the ceremony lingered in the air. Tamora rushed to her set as she held hands with the Bladesmith, Glynnis. It shocked no one to see Glynnis as Tamora’s date, but they were shocked to see how stunning Glynnis looked in a dress with a fresh face instead of her wielding clothes and worker’s grease on her face.

The wedding procession played and captured everyone’s attention. Hank and Jessica came down the aisle with Wyatt and Raja following next. As the music picked up, Chris came next with Piper holding his arm and Leo beside him too. Chris had the biggest grin that anyone’s ever seen before spread across his face.

Chris stood at the altar with Wyatt and Hank behind him. Raja and Jessica stood opposite of them. Behind them, the high priestess stood in a tan-colored dress. She carried a pair of green and purple handfasting cords. 

Next, everyone would hear Selena’s playful cries. Carver carried Selena while Joey carried the basket of daisies so that Selena could snatch the flowers and throw them everywhere. Selena proved a scene-stealer as everyone made sure to get plenty of pictures of her. Once they reached the arch, Carver handed Selena over to Wyatt so that she could remain part of the ceremony. Carver held Joey’s hand as they went to their table. 

Chris looked at the entrance to see Bianca coming down the aisle with her cousin Marco as her escort since she didn’t have parents to walk with her. Bianca picked a dress that had a little more flash than she’d normally wear. She wore a mermaid cut dress that had no straps and a laced back. She practically glided across the aisle as she finally reached the wedding arch, grinning widely as she stared at Chris.

The high priestess recited her vows as Chris and Bianca responded with their vows. They exchanged rings when the high priestess began to wrap the handfasting chords around Chris and Bianca’s hands. 

The high priestess smiled. “Now, Christopher Perry Halliwell and Bianca Isabela Rojas, by the grace of the goddess and before all who gather in celebration of your love, it is my honor to pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss!”

Chris and Bianca leaned close, sharing their first kiss as a married couple while everyone cheered and applauded. As they basked in this wondrous moment, Chris and Bianca stared into each other’s eyes as they felt as much love for each other as they did when they first met.

And they couldn’t wait to spend the rest of their lives together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! A happy ending for all...at least in this chapter. Who knows what news Kyra will bring and what the Hellfire Club has in store for our favorite brothers.
> 
> Gosh! It felt so good to have all these spells included in the chapter. Fun fact. The spell used to make Kyra human was meant to be used in the original series, but it looks like they changed the ending so that Kyra died as a demon. Poor Charisma. I love Ms. Cordelia so much yet she always has to die!!!


	38. Darkest Timeline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woop! Happy Holidays, wonderful readers. I may have another update posted towards the end of the week but I somewhat doubt it. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Especially as we revisit the timeline of Evil Wyatt. Also, expect some bonding between Gordon and Selena...and torture. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very very very much appreciated!

The day after the wedding, Kyra invited the brothers over to Phoebe’s condo for tea. Kyra stayed in Phoebe’s spare bedroom until she could figure out what to do with her newfound humanity. Progressing into her new life would have to wait as she had to fulfill her promise to the brothers to share everything she could about the Hellfire Club. Now that everyone else left for work or school, it gave Kyra and the brothers plenty of privacy to speak.

Kyra moved her teabag so that the tea leaves’ flavors spread into the hot water. She sat at the table, dressed in one of PJ’s outfits since they wore the same size clothes. “Now. Zurie finally made her Hellfire Club a thing. I feared she’d get away with it after all my visions.”

Wyatt sipped his tea. “She’s worked on this for years. She even tricked us into using a Power of Three spell when we still teenagers so that we’d become the Charmed Ones. And she's been one-upping us ever since.”

“Children are easier to manipulate than adults. Your mom and aunts, while weaker than you three, they could still put up a better fight.” Kyra added some sugar and honey into her tea. She glanced at Chris. “I’m sorry that we’re interrupting your honeymoon. I figured you’d want to know everything too.”

“It’s cool.” Chris sighed. “As much as I’d like to spend the day in bed with my wife, I’d like to know more about our demonic cousin and his friends.”

Joey poured sugar into his tea too. “In bed with Bianca’s strap on.” He chuckled but Chris punched him hard, making him regret his jokes. 

Kyra rolled her eyes. “Moving on. I’ve had visions of Zurie and her Hellfire Club for years. None of them made sense but after talking with Phoebe last night, I could start filling in the blanks.” She sipped her tea. She flinched from the heat which she felt more sensitive to as a human when as a demon it wouldn’t have bothered her in the slightest. “You’re aware of everything they’ve done so far, but you don’t know their endgame, correct?”

Chris shrugged. “Aside from destroying good magic and taking over the world, we don’t know how they plan to make that happen.”

“And you wouldn’t. They would keep that close to their chests.” Kyra folded her arms over the table and rested her head on her knuckles. “Tell me what you know about Neferica.” 

“It rhymes with Africa?” blurted Joey. 

Kyra chuckled, while Wyatt and Chris resisted the urge to hit Joey. “Well, like Africa is the cradle of human civilization, Neferica is the cradle of demonic civilization.” She leaned back against her chair. “At the deepest level of the Underworld stood Nefereica, the birthplace for The Source of All Evil and many of the Old Ones. During their early war against the Gods, The Source with the help of the Old Ones brought Neferica to a newborn Earth to harvest its arcane energies. They spawned hundreds of thousands of demons that would become the soldiers for the war. However, the Gods managed to repel the invasion and banished Neferica to another dimension with most of the demons, forcing the Source and the Old Ones to regroup.”

Chris gulped. “I take it that the Hellfire Club is looking to Neferica back.”

Wyatt nodded. “And this plan has our evil cousin’s name written all over it.”

“Indeed.” Kyra sipped her tea. “I’m sure you can imagine the damage the Hellfire Club could do with so many demons suddenly at their disposal. You’ve fended demonic invasions before, but never one to this scale.”

“Yeah.” Joey shuddered as he recalled their battles at the Nexus of the All and the Disneyland. “We’ve fought maybe a hundred demons at once. And even that was a struggle. I don’t know how we’d survive a fight with like a million demons.”

“We wouldn’t.” Wyatt closed his eyes. “Do you know how they’ll bring Neferica to our world? And how much time we have left?”

“No clue, but the clock is already ticking against you,” said Kyra. “The Club is disrupting the balance between good and evil. Once they do enough damage, then they can break the Gods’ seals and drag Neferica here.”

Chris massaged his forehead. “The attacks on the Cupids and Whitelighters. And all the demons that they sent after us to keep us distracted from everything else. It all adds up. It has to involve breaking the balance.” 

Wyatt slammed his hands on the table. “We need to stop the Club, now!”

“How do you plan to do that?” asked Kyra. Such a simple question left Wyatt and Chris completely silent as neither could think of a means of saving the world.

However, Joey thought of something. A distant memory from their time in another timeline. “I think I know someone who might know how to defeat the Hellfire Club. He defeated other demons and may have come across the Club in his past.”

“Who?” asked Wyatt and Chris.

Joey gulped. “Evil Wyatt.”

*~*

The brothers decided that their best bet at stopping the Hellfire Club and derailing their plans to release Neferica required that they visited Evil Wyatt in the dark timeline. They gathered at the manor the next day after making the necessary preparations, including crafting a new spell to help them travel into alternate realities since they couldn’t get a hold of the Arachi Kasey on such short notice.

They gathered at the manor’s attic and drew a triquetra on the wall.  
  
Wyatt kissed Selena again before passing her over to Gordon. “You have all my instructions. Now, if it gets really bad then just call my parents. I’m sure they’ll rush out of work to help.”

Gordon chuckled as he carried Selena who acted like a perfect little angel. “I got it, Wyatt. She isn’t the first baby that I babysat.” He coughed when Selena grabbed his necklace and tugged on it hard, which he realized he shouldn’t have worn. “Okay! So she’s more of a handful. But I got it! I’ll take wonderful care of my boyfriend’s daughter.”

“Please do.” Wyatt kissed Gordon.

Meanwhile, Chris and Joey said their farewells to Bianca and Carver too. 

Chris kissed Bianca again. “As soon as we get back, you and I need to replan our honeymoon. We need to go bigger since we got ripped off on our wedding night and the day after.”

“A hundred percent agreed!” Bianca squeezed Chris’s hands. “Be careful, love.”

Joey and Carver kept hugging each other. Joey had his face buried against Carver’s chest. “You and I deserve a big gay honeymoon too!” Joey mumbled before pulling his face away from Carver’s chest. “Somewhere very hot. Like a private beach.”

Carver smirked. “Where we can have a good time with Wolfy. Nobody around to judge us.” He kissed Joey’s forehead. “I’ll start the search.”

As much as Joey wanted to stay in Carver’s arms, Joey had to remind himself that traveling to the dark timeline was his idea. They needed to speak with Evil Wyatt. Joey smiled as he reminded himself of the purpose for leaving. “You’re such a great husband.” Joey kissed Carver before pulling away. 

Joey walked over to Chris and Wyatt as they prepared their spell. As they didn’t have much time, they simply recrafted the time travel spell that the other Chris created so that it would transport them to alternate realities rather than the past. They took deep breaths to clear their thoughts so that they abandoned all other distractions and fears. 

“ _Hear these words, hear the rhyme. Heed the hope within my mind._ ” They squeezed each other’s hands as a pulsating wave of magic rippled from the triquetra. They knew that they moved on the right track and pushed forward. “ _Send us across reality. To the world of Wyatt’s evil royalty._ ”

The triquetra responded to the magic as it shifted into a glowing portal. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey continued to hold hands as they jumped into the portal, praying that the spell would take them where they needed to go.

*~*

In the dark timeline, magic rippled across Prescott Street as a triquetra appeared on the middle of the road. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey got spat out from the portal where they could see the new and familiar surroundings. They gasped when they noticed how differently things appeared since their last trip, which left them worried if they overshot it and got trapped in a different timeline.

Prescott Street laid in rubble. The houses that they saw growing up, including that of the manor, looked as though they got bombed. Some houses fared better as some of the walls remained intact to show some semblance of a structure, while others laid as a pile of bricks and wood. As they looked downhill, even the city itself looked far more damaged than they once knew it.

More buildings near downtown looked equally as demolished. Small fires still appeared across the city, but everything seemed abandoned. Almost like people gave up on living in San Francisco.

Joey gulped. “Did the socialist revolution finally happen or did Google make it too expensive to live here?”

Wyatt shook his head. In different circumstances, Joey’s joke would get a laugh. However, Wyatt approached the ruined remains of Halliwell Manor where he found fragments of the museum. “This is different. The damage here looks more intentional.” Wyatt turned to Chris. “Didn’t Evil Me turn the manor into a museum? Now, everything is gone.”

Chris nodded as he recalled the lingering memories of the Chris of this reality. “Something isn’t right here. We’re in danger.”

The brothers got closer together as they saw demons shimmering around them. The demons dressed in more tattered clothing instead of the elegant suits that they wore in Evil Wyatt’s service. It left the brothers wondering if these demons were outsiders or if things changed for the worse in this reality.

“Kill the witches!” said a bald demon that lost his left eye. “And let us feast on their corpses!”

“Yeah!” shouted the other demons.

Joey wanted to throw up as the demons drew closer. “Gross. I promise we don’t taste that good, buddy.”

The demons didn’t care. They pounced on the brothers as they summoned energy balls and fireballs. The brothers needed to move quickly to save their asses.

Wyatt waved his arm, hurling a group of demons onto the manor’s rubble. One landed head first on a broken beam, while the others mostly had a cushioned landing. A dark-skinned demon tossed an energy ball which Wyatt deflected to a skinny female demon. 

Chris ducked behind a car that got burned and stripped of all its valuable parts. He telekinetically pushed the car at the demons then fired a lightning blast. The remaining metal served as a perfect conductor as it set the demons on fire.

Joey kicked the bald demon that lost his left eye in the face. The demon landed on a fire hydrant, cracking his skull on the landing. Not that Joey cared as he fired an energy blast at a pair of demons. 

However, more demons continued to shimmer into the away, raising the brothers’ concerns.

Chris blasted more demons with lightning. “No good! And we have no idea where it’s safe.”

“This sucks!” Joey punched a demon’s chest. “Wyatt, do something!”

Wyatt stumbled as he narrowly avoided a fireball hitting his shoulder. “Like what?”

“Leave it to us! And cover your ears!” shouted a familiar voice. 

The brothers knew better than to question a helping hand. They covered their ears as instructed while they heard a sonic scream that rippled across the street. 

The demons failed to follow the instructions. The sonic scream caused some of the demons’ heads to explode, while the survivors fled before they died too. 

As the screaming ended, the brothers uncovered their ears to find three women standing nearby. It didn’t take much for the brothers to recognize their cousins from this reality: Parker, Peyton, and Kat. Their cousins dressed better now too as they no longer appeared like survivalists, trying to topple a dictator’s government. They almost like they could fit into the brothers’ reality.

Peyton had her dark-blond hair tied into a ponytail while she massaged her throat. They noticed some veins bulging around her neck and face as she served as the source of the sonic scream. “Yo!” She said, her voice sounding hoarse now. “Didn’t expect to see you three here.”

Joey waved at their alternate reality cousins. “Hey, ladies! Long time no see! Sorry for just dropping in on you.”

Parker nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her thick biceps flexing, making it appear that she would beat them up too even as she smiled. “So you got thrown into our timeline again? Or is something else going on?”

Chris approached them with Wyatt keeping his distance. “I know we probably shouldn’t ask for help like this, but we need to speak with your Wyatt.”

Kat glared at Wyatt. The scar on her left cheek contracted slightly. “Why? You’re not looking to give him his powers back, are you?”

Wyatt shook his head. “Gods, no! We need information that he might have to save our world.” He pointed at the street and the demolished houses. “Speaking of saving the world. What happened? I thought with the Evil Me being powerless, things would get better here.”

“They are.” Parker sighed. “We’ll explain what you missed at our base. And you can speak to Wyatt, but I doubt he’d talk to you. He isn’t so chatty behind his bars.”

“Not that we’re mad about that,” Peyton said as her voice started to recover.

The brothers took their hands as Kat gave them a location. They orbed together town to the new headquarters of this reality’s resistance. 

*~*

While the brothers worked to uncover whatever secrets Evil Wyatt knew of the Hellfire Club, Gordon had to uncover some secrets too. In his case, Gordon worked hard to crack the code to get Selena to behave.

“Noooouuuu! No wike it!” Selena pushed the sliced grapes from her tray. 

Gordon sighed. He tried desperately to feed Selena her midday snack but she wouldn’t cooperate. It wasn’t the snacks either. She fought him over every little thing as she proved herself as the most difficult baby he had to babysit. 

Gordon tried once more to get Selena to eat. However, Selena wouldn’t follow Gordon’s requests. From her high chair, she shoved the plate of grapes away, knocking most of them to the floor as she started to throw a tantrum. 

“Nooooouuuuu!” screamed Selena.

The screams made Bianca and Carver chuckle as they stood in the hallway, watching the painful scene unfold. They got used to Selena’s tantrum so it didn’t bother them as much as it did Gordon. 

Gordon picked up the food and left it on the dining room table. “You could help me. This kid hates my guts.”

“But watching you suffer is much fun.” Bianca recorded Gordon’s pitiful struggle to take care of Selena. 

Carver nodded. “Plus, she could be your future step-daughter. You need to get used to it because it’s only going to get worse as she gets older.”

Gordon sighed and covered his face, while Selena continued to scream and slam her hands on the high chair. 

*~*

The brothers arrived at a former high school in Oakland that got converted into a headquarters for the resistance. The lockers got removed, while the classrooms became barracks and offices as the resistance mobilized their forces into the San Francisco ruins. 

Joey peeked out the window to see that despite the warlike appearance of the high school that much of Oakland appeared like a normal city. Correction. Oakland looked even better than it did in their timeline. “So can someone explain what happened here?” Joey turned to their cousins as they stood inside an office with more resistance agents roaming everywhere. “We stripped Evil Wyatt of his powers. Yet San Francisco looks worse than a dystopian nightmare.”

Peyton sipped a hot tea to help soothe her throat from her sonic scream. “You did us a big favor in stripping Wyatt of his magic, but it didn’t solve all our problems.” She pointed to a map of the Bay Area that they had pinned to a wall. “Wyatt’s fall created a power vacuum. Many of his generals retreated to the Underworld to reorganize the demons while fighting to become the next leader of the Underworld, but his more faithful followers have tried to liberate Wyatt from our prisons and spread his agenda.”

Parker nodded. “The demons’ disorganization helped us tremendously. They’re more scattered and less focused. But his followers have attacked numerous facilities and civilians to prove a point. Even as we liberated much of the area, but the global governments decided to take swift action to eliminate the demon problem, especially since Wyatt is no longer an issue. They gave authorization to the military to bomb San Francisco. The bombs took out many of Wyatt’s followers, but...it made the city uninhabitable.”

“That’s why,” continued Kat, “we’re organizing everything out of Oakland now. Oakland took over as the new hub and it's also where we’ve housed many of San Francisco's refugees before relocating them elsewhere.” 

“Wow!” Chris stared at the map to see the assorted marking. Some had some notes that made sense, while others were too vague for him to understand. “What is all this for? Are these the demons’ bases?”

“Yeah.” Parker pointed at an area that they had highlighted in red. “In fact. We could use your help.” She turned to Wyatt. “We’ll give you access to our Wyatt, but we need to borrow Chris and Joey for a mission. There’s a base of some of our Wyatt’s most devout followers that we need to eliminate. Even with all the resources from the Book of Shadows, we lack the magic necessary to take them down.”

Wyatt nodded. “A favor for a favor. I’m open to it.” He glanced at Chris and Joey. “If you two are. It’s your lives.” They nodded as they needed to know everything that Evil Wyatt did. Wyatt grinned. He followed Parker as she promised to take him to Evil Wyatt, while Kat and Peyton explained the mission to Chris and Joey.

As Parker led Wyatt to the basement, Wyatt noticed more guards around the area. He could tell that even with Evil Wyatt having no magic left that the resistance refused to take any chances. He couldn’t judge them since if he lost his powers then he’d fight to get them back so surely Evil Wyatt would do the same. 

They made it down to the basement to find Leo standing next to an armed guard and a steel door. Leo appeared better than when they last met. He still had some scars on his face, but, like the cousins, he dressed better. He didn't wear Elder robes, but he looked comfortable in a fitted flannel shirt and pants.

Parker stepped back. “Uncle Leo? What are you doing here?”

Leo smirked as he turned to Wyatt. “The Elders and I noticed the portal open. We figured that you’d come here. I take it that you need our Wyatt for something.”

Wyatt nodded. “The girls promised to give me access in exchange for Chris and Joey helping them. Is that cool with you?”

“Yes.” Leo opened the door. “Be careful, Wyatt. Our Wyatt...well, you know what he’s capable of doing.” Parker left them as she would focus on helping the others with their mission. 

Leo led Wyatt inside to where they found the basement appeared almost twice as big. Half a dozen armed guards surrounded a glass prison cell that had proper ventilation. The prison cell had a bed, a chair, and a table. It also had a small bathroom with a sheer curtain around the shower and toilet for some degree of privacy.

And sitting on the chair, Wyatt would find Evil Wyatt there with a grin spread across his face. Evil Wyatt had his long curls tied into a ponytail, his scruff mostly shaved off as he had only a two o'clock stubble now, and he looked a little thinner from the lack of proper exercise. He wore a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, looking more unkempt than the elegant man that Wyatt encountered before.

Evil Wyatt had his arms crossed over his chest as he kicked his feet onto the table. “Ah! So that’s what all the excitement was about.” Evil Wyatt glared at Wyatt. “It’s the Whore Me. What brings you to my humble prison? Come to finish what you started?”

Leo muttered for Evil Wyatt to behave, but Wyatt didn’t care.

Wyatt smiled. “Hello, Evil Me. It’s always good to see you.” He pointed at the prison cell. “Love the new place. It screams ‘prison bitch’.”

The guards chuckled, while Leo glared at them. The guards fell silent.

Evil Wyatt took his feet off the table and leaned forward to get a closer look at Wyatt. “Feisty. Now, what of our brothers? Are they here too?”

“Yes, not that they’re looking to chat with you.” Wyatt walked up to Evil Wyatt’s cell. He poked at the glass as he sensed an enchantment to help keep Evil Wyatt prisoner. “But you and I can talk. Actually, let’s cut to the chase. Do you know anything about the Hellfire Club? Or the demons that run it? Azazel. Abigor. Lamia. Zagon. Zurie.”

Evil Wyatt shrugged as he kept smirking. “Those names don’t ring any bell to me.”

Wyatt could see that Evil Wyatt could possibly be speaking the truth. He knew that it is likely that Zagon, Abigor, and Azazel never escaped their prisons, which meant that Evil Wyatt never encountered them. However, he could think of someone that would get in Evil Wyatt’s way for evil conquest. “Fair enough. Then, do you know Seth Turner? Or he might have gone by the name Seth Hale. Phoebe and Cole’s evil unborn son got reincarnated and is trying to kill us all.”

“Seth. Seth.” Evil Wyatt bit his tongue. “Seth...now that name sounds familiar. I vaguely recall killing a Seth who dared to challenge my authority.” Evil Wyatt started to laugh. He pieced together Wyatt’s questions as he recalled the conversation that he had with Joey. “Let me guess! Seth is working for your Hellfire Club and he’s the one who Joseph said would become the new Source of All Evil.”

“It's worse than that. Seth killed our Tribunal and Cleaners, stole their powers, and divided the Source’s essence amongst himself and the Club. So we have six Sources running around.”

Evil Wyatt actually seemed surprised as he leaned back against his chair. “Damn! I hadn’t considered taking the Cleaners’ powers.” He chuckled. “But I am glad that I killed Seth before he became an issue for me. Dodged an _athame_ with that one.”

Wyatt rolled his eyes. He grew frustrated with how slow their conversation progressed and needed some answers now. He stared at the prison cell and thought of the guards around them. “Let me inside his cell,” he said to Leo.

“Are you serious?” asked Leo, while Evil Wyatt raised his eyebrows. 

“Yes.” Wyatt found a small crack in the cell. “I need to make him talk.”

Leo turned to a guard, authorizing Wyatt to enter. The guard hit a button, which opened the cell slightly. “Be careful. We made sure that the prison suppresses magical abilities as a precaution in case Wyatt somehow got his powers back.”

Wyatt nodded as he walked inside. They closed the door behind him, activating the locks. “Now. Let’s have a serious talk.”

Before Wyatt could blink, Evil Wyatt tossed the chair at Wyatt. Wyatt pushed the chair but he didn’t have enough time to guard himself as Evil Wyatt punched Wyatt across the face. Wyatt collapsed to the ground, while Evil Wyatt towered over him.

The guards prepared to fire on Evil Wyatt, but Leo urged them to stand down. 

Evil Wyatt laughed as he clenched his fists. “You pathetic brat. I’ve waited so long for my chance at revenge. And here you go. You served yourself to me on a silver platter so I can take your magic and restore myself to greatness.” As Wyatt rolled himself up from the ground, Evil Wyatt threw another punch. The hit drew blood from Wyatt’s nose, which made Evil Wyatt laugh more. “I’m going to enjoy every minute of this.” Evil Wyatt threw another punch, but Wyatt caught it.

Wyatt ignored the pain and smiled with the blood smeared across his face. He kept a firm grip on Evil Wyatt’s fist. “Is that the best you got?” Wyatt shoved Evil Wyatt’s fist aside then sprang to his feet. He punched Evil Wyatt hard, pushing Evil Wyatt against the prison cell. The guards cheered as Wyatt pinned Evil Wyatt against the cell. “I’m not playing games with you! And I know better than to take a powerless dictator lightly!” Wyatt twisted Evil Wyatt’s arm behind his back, making Evil Wyatt yelp. “Now, get serious and talk. I’m not afraid to kill you.”

Evil Wyatt clenched his teeth. “When did you learn how to fight?”

“Aunt Phoebe made sure that we all knew how to fight punk-ass dicks like you. And I took a few lessons from Joey too.” Wyatt grabbed Evil Wyatt’s neck. “Now, tell me what you know about the Hellfire Club and Seth. Especially how you defeated Seth since he is immune to Halliwell magic. I have a daughter waiting for me at home.”

“A daughter?” Evil Wyatt chuckled despite the pain that Wyatt caused him. “That’s why you’re so butch. You’re a daddy now.”

“Get to talking!” Wyatt tugged on Evil Wyatt’s arm harder. 

Evil Wyatt felt the pressure of the joins separating. He screamed, “Fine! We’ll talk!”

*~*

Back in the ruins of San Francisco, they approached a barricaded warehouse near downtown that belonged to Evil Wyatt’s faithful followers. They didn’t know how many demons lurked inside, but they took the necessary precautions as they came armed with their strongest vanquishing potions. The cousins thanked Chris and Joey once more for taking the risk with them.

“Our pleasure,” said Chris. “Now, let’s beat some demons!”

Peyton nodded. “You got it, bub.” She approached the steel door that sealed the demons’ base. She took a deep breath to prepare herself when Joey placed a hand on her shoulder.

Joey smirked. “Allow me to knock for you. Save your voice for when you really need it!” He cracked his knuckles as gestured for everyone else to get behind him. He cracked his knuckles while a wave of scarlet energy gathered around his body. He unleashed the energy to blast the door from its hinges which sent it sailing across the warehouse.

The steel door zoomed to the further wall and even crushed a few demons when the door finally crashed. The crunching of demons’ bones echoed across the warehouse, sending the surviving demons on high alert. 

Over two dozen demons lurked inside the warehouse, which explained why the cousins needed more help. Chris, Joey, and the cousins marched inside as they prepared for battle. 

Peyton took a deep breath then unleashed another sonic scream. She didn’t allow the scream to last too long since it would prove too strainful for her vocal cords. The screaming did enough damage to leave the demons stunned, which proved effective enough as she allowed the others to get to work.

A few demons recovered faster than the others. They began to fling energy balls, fireballs, and one even spewed an acidic spray. Luckily, Kat intercepted the attacks as she raised her arms and summoned dozens of orbs to form a shield. The orb shield neutralized enough of the demons’ attacks, which gave Chris and Parker a window to strike back.

Chris fired his lightning blasts. The pure lightning blasted many of the demons into the Wasteland, while others ducked and covered. Meanwhile, Parker waved her hands at a group of demons. The demons dispersed into ash as Parker didn’t blow them up with molecular combustion, but rather killed the demons through molecular dispersion. 

The demons continued to fall despite their opposition.

Joey unleashed another energy blast that struck a demon’s face. The demon crashed through a window as flames washed over his body. Joey flinched a little as he saw the demon go down. “I almost feel bad for the bastard. Oh well.” He spun around and kicked another demon’s chest. “I wonder how Wyatt’s doing!”

Kat orbed broken shards of glass into some demons’ eyes. “He’ll be fine! So long as he doesn’t go into our Wyatt’s prison cell. Otherwise, his powers will get suppressed!”

Chris chuckled as he telekinetically pushed a demon against a metal beam. “Oh, we’re fucked!”

Parker froze a demon’s energy ball. “Why do you say that? Your Wyatt isn’t that stupid. Is he?”

Joey grappled a demon to the ground. He touched the demon’s face to replicate his fireball powers then tossed a fireball at the demon’s face. “Wyatt’s great. But he’s also a total himbo!”

As a demon ran to stab Joey with an athame, Peyton squinted her eyes. She telekinetically tossed a demon across the warehouse which allowed Parker to blow the demon up. “So we’re in trouble?” said Peyton. “Great! Here I thought we’d have one less thing to worry about.”

More demons crowded the warehouse to reinforce the remaining demons, preventing an easy escape. Chris, Joey, and the cousins would have to hope that Wyatt wouldn’t fall for Evil Wyatt’s tricks as they continued their assault on the demons. 

*~*

Gordon finally received some mercy from Bianca and Carver as they stepped up with helping Selena. Bianca gave Selena her nightly bath and Carver read Selena a bedtime story. It left Gordon with the Herculean task of putting Selena to bed. Despite how well she behaved with Bianca and Carver, Selena refused to take it easy on poor Gordon. 

Selena screamed from her crib, banging her little fist against the bars. She wouldn’t grant Gordon any peace, which pulverized what remained of his good nerves.

It reached the breaking point. 

Gordon collapsed onto his knees. He banged his forehead against the crib, not caring over the pain that he caused himself. “This was such a mistake. What was I thinking of going after a man with a kid? A kid who hates me.” Gordon sighed as he began to softly cry. “Wyatt’s going to break up with me. I can’t blame him. If I can take care of his kid then why would he waste his time with me? He has to put her first.”

Gordon kept crying, while Selena started to calm down. She stared blankly at Gordon. There was no clear way of understanding what trouble she had brewing in her head as Gordon had a breakdown.

“I should just call it quits. Save myself the pain.” Gordon brushed some of the tears away with his forearm. He sniffled. “This isn’t how I want it to end. I thought things could work between us, all of us. I’d show off that I could be a great dad too and Wyatt would want to put getting married on the table. And the three of us could be a happy family.” Gordon covered his face and kept crying. “I’m so stupid! Look at me. I’m crying in front of a baby that doesn't know what I’m talking about.” He shook his head and started to get up. “I should just go now.”

Selena turned to the blue stuffed horse in her crib that Gordon bought for her birthday. She blinked at the horse. A swirl of rainbow-colored orbs surrounded the stuffed horse and vanished from the crib. 

Gordon made his way to the door. He would call Bianca and Carver to take over babysitting since Selena hated him so much. 

However, before he could leave, he saw rainbow-colored orbs gathering in front of him. His instincts took over as he saw the stuffed horse falling and caught it before it touched the ground. It startled him but then he thought about it for a second. He slowly turned to Selena, holding the horse. “Did you orb your horse? Why?”

Selena nodded. “Wike u.”

Gordon smiled as he brought the stuffed horse to the crib. Gordon handed the stuffed horse to Selena and pulled the blanket over them. “Like you too, kid.”

*~*

Bloody spots covered the floor and glass walls. Wyatt and Evil Wyatt sat on opposite ends of the prison cell with several bruises and bloody cuts covering their bodies from the beating. Wyatt’s knuckles cracked from hitting Evil Wyatt so many times, while Evil Wyatt sported fewer scrapes on his knuckles since Wyatt moved quicker. 

Outside the prison cell, Leo and the guards watched. They didn’t intervene as Wyatt promised that he had the situation under control, which he proved true.

Evil Wyatt spat blood on the ground. He smirked. “You’re tougher than when we last fought. You don’t need your baby brothers coming to your rescue.”

“That’s what happens as you get older.” Wyatt cracked his neck to deal with the stiffness. “A lot changed since we last met. Like I said, I’m a dad now. I have a daughter. Selena. She’s a little over a year now.”

“And what poor soul had your child?”

“My girlfriend Veronica.” Wyatt stared at Evil Wyatt, noticing the cocky grin on Evil Wyatt’s face. He couldn’t wait to punch that smirk off his face. “She died the day after having Selena. There were complications. I had to watch her die and see the Angel of Death take her soul, knowing that I’m powerless to stop destiny.”

Evil Wyatt frowned. His eyes briefly glanced at Leo outside the cell before he looked back at Wyatt. “My condolences. Not that you care.” Evil Wyatt huffed. “You’re not the only one who learned how powerless they are. Mom, Aunt Phoebe, and Aunt Paige are gone from this world. The mighty Charmed Ones fell. And I could do nothing to save them...or bring them back.”

“Then, you lost your Chris.”

“Then, I lost him.” Evil Wyatt sighed as he banged his head against the cell wall. “What of your brothers? How have they grown?”

Wyatt chuckled. “Joey eloped to this guy named Carver. He’s a total sweetheart. Oh, and he’s a werewolf.”

“A werewolf?” Evil Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Another reason why it's probably for the best that I didn’t have another sibling.”

“Maybe. As for Chris. He got married yesterday to our timeline’s Bianca.”

“Good for him. And what of you? Anything new in your life besides your child?”

Wyatt tilted his head to the side. He saw Chris and Joey returning with the cousins to see that the mission went well. He looked back at Evil Wyatt. “I’m dating someone. A high school friend turned bandmate and roommate. And now he’s my boyfriend. Gordon. I really like him too.” Wyatt grinned. “We might even have a future together. If we can stop Seth and the Hellfire Club.”

Evil Wyatt smirked as he stared at his bloody knuckles. He finally sat up and crossed his legs despite the pain that flooded his nerves. “Seth. I knew a Seth.” He licked the blood from his bottom lip. “My world’s Seth cozied up to me. Made me think we could work as an unstoppable pair. He became my right-hand man.”

“Really?” Wyatt blinked. “But you said you killed Seth. So what happened?”

“Seth would betray me. He rallied some of my followers against me then made the first move. ‘There’s only enough room for one Twice-Blessed Child,’ he said as he tried to stab me with a wicked-looking athame.” Evil Wyatt chuckled from the memory. He clenched his fist. “I disarmed him and stabbed him with the athame, putting an end to the miserable welp.”

Wyatt sighed. “That doesn’t help much.”

Evil Wyatt rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t done with my story. Not long after I killed Seth, I learned why this athame mattered so much.” He scooted a little closer to Wyatt. However, he made sure not to appear threatening since he didn’t want another fight. “It is known as the Ancient Athame. Demons fear it as it is said that it contains magic powerful enough to kill anyone regardless of how powerful they are. I couldn’t allow something like that to remain laying around so I destroyed it.”

“The Ancient Athame,” whispered Wyatt. “Do you know anything else about it? Or about the demonic homeland of Neferica?”

“Neferica didn’t matter to me. As for the Ancient Athame. No. I didn’t care to learn more. What little I did find out made it clear that it is too dangerous to allow it to exist. It could’ve threatened my rule.” Evil Wyatt laughed again. He shook his head as he got up from the floor and hobbled over to his bed. “Not that it mattered. I still lost everything in the end.”

Wyatt got up too. He made his way out of the prison cell with the guard letting him go free, while Evil Wyatt remained inside the cell. He stumbled to others as Chris and Leo started to heal him. The injuries quickly faded and Wyatt felt his strength restored. 

Wyatt turned to stare at Evil Wyatt. “Thanks. Wyatt.”

Evil Wyatt gave them a half-assed wave as he laid on his bed. “Maybe it’ll do you some good. Maybe it won’t. Personally, I’m rooting on you to fail.”

The brothers rolled their eyes as they didn’t expect anything less from Evil Wyatt.

*~*

The brothers separated after returning from the dark timeline. Wyatt remained at the manor to relieve Gordon of his babysitting duties, while Chris and Joey left to discuss their adventure with Kyra. Chris and Joey returned to Phoebe’s condo where they told Kyra of everything that Evil Wyatt shared with them. 

Chris had his arms crossed over his chest. “And that’s everything Evil Wyatt would tell us, or knew. We can’t exactly tell if he is lying since there are such stark differences between our timelines.”

“Right,” continued Joey, “but do you know anything about this Ancient Athame? Anything at all that might help us? Evil Wyatt destroyed his timeline’s version of it, but does one exist in our timeline still?”

Kyra sat on the edge of her bed. She grazed her thumb against her nails, which made a soft clicking sound. “I can’t tell you if it still exists. I don’t have my powers anymore to find it.”

“Do you know what it is though?” asked Chris. “What makes this athame so different from the others besides its age?”

Kyra shrugged. “Nobody knows where the Ancient Athame came from as it is almost a legend even amongst the oldest of demons. However, what is known is that the Ancient Athame is a powerful relic capable of killing anyone. There is a legend that a demon tried to use it against the Source but failed and suffered a most gruesome death. All records of the athame disappeared after that encounter.”

Joey squinted his eyes. They heard numerous stories and legends of demons attacking the Source, but the Ancient Athame’s story felt different. “Why does that matter? Did the Source fear the athame’s power?”

“Yes. The Ancient Athame works differently than other weapons. As I said, it can kill anyone.” Kyra pointed at her heart. “The athame doesn’t just kill the body, therefore, ending an individual’s life. The athame also atomizes the spirit and soul. This means even the Source as the primordial essence of evil would face a true death. Never able to return.”

“Fuck,” whispered Chris. “So the Ancient Athame is a real godslayer.”

“I’d refer to it as a god annihilator.” Kyra chuckled. “Seth is immune to your family’s magic, but not even with all the power he has now could he survive being stabbed with the Ancient Athame. He would die like everyone else.”

Joey nodded. “We know what our MacGuffin is. Now, we need to find it. Do you have any hints, Kyra? Anything at all.”

Kyra bit her lip. She turned away as she collected all her past memories as the Seer. She foresaw numerous futures and encountered countless demons. However, there was something that did stand out to her from the back of her mind. “I may know of someone. He is one of the oldest demons that I knew, if he still lives. He might know where to find the athame.”

“What demon?” asked Chris.

“Aldar Kose.”

*~*

That night, Wyatt and Gordon laid on Wyatt’s bed now that Selena finally drifted off into dreamland. Wyatt honestly felt so horrible about leaving Gordon to care for Selena, especially after Gordon shared the painful details of everything that happened. Even as Wyatt still felt the sting across his body from his fight with Evil Wyatt.

Wyatt kissed Gordon’s forehead as he pulled Gordon closer to his chest. “I’m sorry that my daughter abused you. She’s never acted that horrible before.”

Gordon mumbled nonsense into Wyatt’s chest, mostly boasting over his exhaustion. He pulled back slightly. “Either your daughter is a little racist, or she is very overprotective.”

“Probably overprotective.” Wyatt chuckled. “When my parents got separated, I tortured all the men that my mom tried to date with my magic.”

“Then, I’m glad that her powers didn’t come in earlier. And she didn’t use her powers to attack me but gave me a stuffed animal instead.” Gordon kissed Wyatt’s shoulder. He scooted over so that he could lay on his side and they could look at each other. “Can you explain why her orbs are so different?” 

Wyatt squinted his eyes. “Huh? What do you mean?”

Gordon nodded. “Yeah. Her orbs are more colorful than yours and everyone else. All of you have light-blue orbs, but not Selena. When she orbs, it resembles a rainbow.”

“A rainbow?”

“Like she has orbs of all different colors, not just blue orbs. Why is that?”

Wyatt didn’t see Selena orb so he didn’t know exactly what Gordon meant. However, he did have a theory of why Selena’s orbs differed, which made him smile. “Veronica. It’s because of Veronica.” Wyatt squeezed Gordon’s hand. “Veronica had the power to generate rainbow-colored sparks from her hands. It looks like Selena didn’t just inherit my powers, but she inherited aspects of Veronica’s powers too.”

Gordon smiled. “That’s great. Selena literally has a part of Veronica with her always.”

“And she showed it to you first.” Wyatt scooted closer to Gordon and smiled as they continued to hold hands. “I guess that means she approves of you. We have my kid’s blessing.”

“That means we can start making some more long term plans.” Gordon tilted his head closer to kiss Wyatt’s nose. “Not tonight though. Right now, I want to just enjoy this moment.”

Wyatt chuckled as he kissed Gordon back. “Me too. But it’s nice to know that we have options on the table now.”

“All the options,” whispered Gordon. They wrapped their arms around each other as they began to make out and enjoy this beautiful moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like Joey said, we have our MacGuffin now! But will the Ancient Athame be the game-changer that they're expecting? As for Aldar, he's another character from the comics that is getting some revisions for the fic. Including a connection to the sisters. You'll find out what I mean in the next chapter!


	39. Old One's Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays once again! I got another fun-filled chapter out this week. It's a little shorter, but has way more action than the previous one.
> 
> Also, I wanted to put it out there that I'm recruiting beta readers for a book series that I'm writing. Details at the end of the chapter. 
> 
> And as always, kudos and comments are much appreciated.

Instead of working their 9-5 lives, the brothers decided that they needed to go after Aldar Kose. After their visit into the dark timeline and what Kyra told them of the Ancient Athame, they couldn’t afford to waste time. They needed the Ancient Athame to defeat Seth, so they needed to move fast to find out if Aldar had it or knew where to find it. 

Wyatt and Joey stood in the attic as they flipped through the Book of Shadows for any mention of Aldar. Wyatt called in sick, while Joey ditched school for the day. Concerned with how long this adventure could take, Wyatt left Selena at Magic School’s daycare so that he could focus on saving the world. 

Light-blue orbs gathered as Chris appeared. Chris had his hands in his pockets as he approached them at the podium. “I got a substitute for my classes.” Chris crossed his arms. “Hopefully, I don’t need to reschedule tomorrow’s photoshoot with Rock M. After the wedding expenses, I need as much money as I can get to pay the bills.”

“Rock M?” Joey punched Chris’s arm. “You didn’t tell me that Rock M. Sakura hired you for a shoot! Do you need an assistant?”’

Chris rolled his eyes. “Not after you hit me. You’re lucky if I get you an autograph.” He turned to Wyatt. “Any luck in the Book?”

Wyatt nodded. He pointed to the current page of the Book of Shadows. “It took a while but here’s Aldar. And it isn’t pretty. He’s a demonic sorcerer and a master of magical cloning who previously served as Tempus’s apprentice.”

“Tempus?” Chris gulped. “The Source’s personal sorcerer? That Tempus?”

Joey sighed. “The same Tempus that trapped mom, Aunt Phoebe, and Aunt Prue in a time loop that almost killed them. I don’t like the idea of going after Aldar. If Aldar is half as strong and clever as Tempus then we’re in for a serious fight.”

“It’s a risk,” said Wyatt, “but we need the Ancient Athame. I don’t think we can defeat Seth and the Hellfire Club without it.” 

“True,” said Joey. “So, any clue where we can find Aldar?”

Before Wyatt could share the bad news, they saw shimmering. Bianca appeared with her cousin Marco. Marco whistled as he looked around the attic since he never before visited Halliwell Manor.

Marco brushed his dark hair back. “So this where the Charmed Ones hang their hats.”

Chris squinted his eyes. “What are you doing here, Marco?”

Bianca chuckled before Marco took offense. “I passed the information to the family. Marco found some info on Aldar that you could help you.”

Joey locked arms with Marco, feeling on Marco’s bicep. “I knew you were my favorite Phoenix for a good reason.”

Marco chuckled. “You’re married and I’m straight.” He turned to Chris and Wyatt since Joey acted like a hot mess as usual. “Anyway, we learned that Aldar had a pupil that you might know. Montgomery Knox.”

“Montgomery?” Chris nodded as he recalled the name. “The guy that founded the Knox Academy worked for a demon?”

“Knox believes in neutrality,” said Marco. “He isn’t quite as biased between good and evil. That’s why many Phoenixes like Bianca and me got our education at the academy instead of Magic School. But...if he’s connected to Aldar that is worrisome.” 

Bianca agreed since she heard of Aldar before too. “Aldar has quite the reputation amongst demons. I’m honestly surprised he isn’t part of the Hellfire Club. If he doesn’t have a good relationship with the Club then that could work to our advantage.”

Joey walked over to Wyatt and Chris. He clicked his tongue. “Well, know we know where to go. Ready for a field trip?”

“Let’s do it.” Wyatt closed the Book of Shadows so that they could head out to Knox Academy.

*~*

Hidden from everyone, a pale-face demon with a scraggly beard and long ebony hair tossed a handful of seeds onto a table. The seeds landed across a map of San Francisco. The demon paid close attention to the locations as they all bore a greater significance that he knew the true meaning.

The demon stood over the map with an athame hung above him. The athame had a turquoise-colored handle with serpent-like creatures carved everywhere. The obsidian blade itself had minor lines that ran in every direction, emphasizing its ethereal design. 

“It is almost time,” whispered the demon. “The Age of the Old Ones is now.”

“I beg to differ. We are still in the Age of the Hellfire Club.”

Footsteps echoed in the dark chamber. The demon lifted his head to see Zurie approaching him, carrying a small urn. 

Zurie smiled. “Aldar. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Aldar glared. “Why are you here, Zurie? I have no time to waste on your pitiful agenda. You are interfering with my life’s purpose.”

“Rude.” Zurie placed the urn on his map. “Here I come offering a gift. And a warning of your impending doom.”

“Of what?”

Zurie smirked as she had Aldar’s attention now. “You have earned the attention of the Charmed Ones. They are coming for you and will ruin all that you have planned.” Her gaze drifted onto the athame that hung above his head. She confirmed what the Club suspected that Aldar had possession of the Ancient Athame. She gently pushed the urn closer to Aldar. “As you recall, they defeated an Old One. It will likely happen again. Unless something is done.” 

Aldar hissed. He recalled how the Halliwell family defeated Asmodeus years ago, despite the aid that he provided the Cult of Asmodeus. “What is in the urn, Lady Zurie? How might it help me?”

“The last remaining ashes of Asmodeus.” Zurie turned away as she would soon return to her base. “I already used them for as long as I needed, but they no longer have a purpose for me. You may use them as you see fit. Might I suggest releasing Dominus? Legend states that Dominus and Asmodeus were quite close.”

Aldar grinned as he pulled the urn closer as he now had a key to releasing an Old One from the ashes of another. 

Zurie vanished in a wall of fire as she laid a trap that not even a demon as wise as Aldar could resist.

*~*

Unlike Magic School, the Knox Academy didn’t hide in another dimension. The campus hid in plain sight near downtown San Francisco as it occupied an old train station that got demolished during the great earthquake of 1906 and never got converted into a historical site. That made it quite simple for Knox to transform the area into a secluded space where young magical beings could grow in power in safety. 

The brothers stood underneath the clocktower as they watched the students and faculty wandered about the campus. They waited patiently since they didn’t need to make a scene. They contacted Montgomery Knox’s office to set up an emergency appointment, which proved easy to do since used their status as Charmed Ones and Leo’s kids to get access. 

Joey sighed and covered his hands with the sleeves of his sweater. “Did we have to meet outside the clocktower? Couldn’t we meet somewhere inside? Where it’s warmer.”

“We’re not staff or faculty,” said Chris. “Knox is considering his students’ safety like a good headmaster. We do the same thing at Magic School.”

“Yeah,” said Wyatt, “but we’re the Charmed Ones. We should always get V.I.P. treatment.”

Chris rolled his eyes, while Joey shouted his agreement. 

They waited a few more minutes until they heard a familiar voice. They looked to spot a blond-haired man approaching them with an older, bald man close to his side. The brothers grinned as they recognized the blond-haired man.

“Tyler!”

Tyler Michaels waved at the brothers. He hadn’t seen the Halliwell family for years now since life proved too distracting, but he still owed a great debt. After all, their mom and aunts are the ones who saved him from the demon Ludlow back when he was a young Firestarter. “Hey, guys! Long time no see.” Tyler greeted each of them. “Oh! And congrats, Chris. Sorry that I couldn’t make it to the wedding. Kareem and I left town to visit his parents since his dad got done with a major operation.”

“It’s no big deal,” said Chris. “I’m glad that he’s doing better. How’s Kareem?”

“Same old, same old.” Tyler fist-bumped Joey. “Hey, baby gay.”

“Hey, big gay!” said Joey. “Thanks for the wedding present. Carver and I really appreciate it.”

Tyler smirked. “Glad you like it.” He turned to Wyatt. “So when’s your wedding?”

Wyatt chuckled. “Gordon and Selena are only now getting along so we’re in no rush.”

The bald man coughed. “While this is all fascinating. My time is precious. I have a school to run.” He turned to Tyler. “And Mr. Michaels. The next class period is about to begin. You should get ready for class.”

“You’re right, Headmaster Knox.” Tyler waved at the brothers. “We’ll talk later. I have to go teach Advanced Fire-Throwing. Bye, guys!”

“Later, Tyler!”

Wyatt approached Knox, holding his hand out so that they could shake hands. “Thank you for meeting with us, Headmaster Knox. We are sorry for intruding, but we are in grave need of your help. It involves your former master, Aldar.”

Knox’s brown eyes grew darker at the mention of Aldar’s name. He squeezed his grip on Wyatt’s hand as he looked around them to see nobody else nearby. “Do not speak that name in public.” Knox shook his head. “Come to my office. We can speak there.”

Wyatt rubbed his hand. Chris and Joey patted Wyatt’s back as they followed Knox up to his office.

*~*

Knox brought them to his office on the third floor of the main building. It primarily housed the staff and faculty’s offices, far from the classrooms and the students’ dorms. The office reminded them of Leo’s office at Magic School with the standard office decor and abundance of office documents piling up on the desk.

Knox listened as the brothers explained everything to him. He sighed after they finished their story. “I always knew that working with Aldar would come back to haunt me.”

Joey leaned against the wall as Chris and Wyatt sat on chairs. “Why did you apprentice under Aldar? You’re not exactly a demon.”

“But I have my father’s warlock blood,” said Knox. “And witch’s blood on my mother's side. That’s why I made this academy. For the children like me who do not belong at the rainbows and sunshine Magic School that the Elders support. Those of us not bound to such a rigid morality need proper schooling too.”

Chris shrugged. “Even if it means taking a hand from someone with a connection to the Source.”

Knox huffed. “Your aunt married the Source, and his child is raining hell upon this world.” Knox’s bold words left Chris silent, while Wyatt and Joey chuckled. Knox poured himself a shot of whiskey from his private bar that he chugged in a single gulp. He sighed once more. “I will help you find Aldar. Only because helping you will protect my students from the Hellfire Club. Although, I cannot make any promises that Aldar has the athame or knows where it’s located.”

“We’ll take any help that we can get,” said Wyatt. “We’re desperate at this point.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.” Knox went to his desk to retrieve a green topaz ring. He took the ring and placed it on the floor while gesturing for the brothers to come towards him. “Aldar gave me this ring to locate him. If I ever wanted to serve under him again.” He shook his head. “Me bringing you to him is an invitation of doom. I must warn you now that Aldar will not hesitate to kill you at first glance.”

The brothers nodded. They would ready themselves for battle, which didn’t make Knox feel remotely better. Knox hesitated but waved his hand over the ring, activating the magic contained inside. The ring glowed as a cloud of smoke began to swallow them, transporting them to wherever Aldar made his nest.

*~*

The smoke released the brothers and Knox, bringing them to a secluded two-story house with overgrowth everywhere from the trees, shrubs, and grass. The house seen better days as much of it appeared as ruins and needed some serious TLC. Now, they didn’t have the time to evaluate the house or question the owner’s state of mind as they needed to find the Ancient Athame. 

Knox took point as he smoothed the wrinkles from his suit coat. “I warn you again that Aldar will likely attack you. Try to let me handle the talking.”

“Right,” said Wyatt.

They walked up the porch steps then Knox knocked on the door. However, the door started to open on its own, which always meant a signal for worse things to come. They gulped before stepping inside the house.

Inside, the house looked worse. It had dust everywhere and the floors squeaked something fierce. It left everyone paranoid that they would soon face something horrible. They kept close as a precaution as they didn’t know what to expect. 

Knox waved his hand back to signal for the brothers to keep behind him. “Aldar! Master Aldar! Are you here? We wish to talk.”

Laughter echoed across the house. “Talk? You wish to talk? But you brought the Charmed Ones to my home! My sanctuary!” They looked around them as a low blanket of mist covered the ground. They stepped closer into a circle as replicas of Aldar appeared everywhere. His dark eyes flashed red as a reversed pentagram appeared cut onto his forehead. “You betray me, Montgomery. Siding with good little witches.”

“No, Master Aldar!” Knox gulped. He stared at the clones of Aldar, unable to identify the real one. “We are only here to talk. The Charmed Ones are looking for the Ancient Athame, and heard you might know where to find it.”

The Aldar clones glared at them and spoke in unison. “Lies! They are here to stop my plans! To stop the return of the Old Ones!”

“Old Ones!” said Chris. 

Joey shook his head from the bad memories he had of Mark and the Cult. “Asmodeus!”

Wyatt clenched his fist. “You’re trying to bring more Old Ones back to the world? Are you working for the Hellfire Club?”

“I care nothing for the Hellfire Club.” The Aldar clones extended their hands out. “All that matters is the Old Ones return!” Energy beams formed around the clones’ hands as they prepared to launch their assault.

Joey stomped his foot to the ground. Webs of scarlet energy arose from around his body. “The Old Ones will never return! They’ll stay gone!” He fired an energy blast at a pair of clones before the clones could strike first. Other clones began to fire green energy beams, prompting the others to get into the fight too as they tried to dodge the other attacks. 

Chris fired lightning blasts, Wyatt blew up the clones, and Knox unleashed fire streams from his hand. The clones fell one by one, but more clones would soon appear. The number of clones that crowded the house eventually prompted the brothers and Knox to get separated. 

The brothers stuck closer together, but Knox soon got swarmed. 

A pair of Aldar clones grabbed Knox’s arms. “You will be first! Then, your precious students will fall! To fulfill your oath!”

Knox shook his head as he tried to fire blast the clones. “No! I didn’t raise my students for you to slaughter!”

The clones laughed. “You cannot harm us, Montgomery. Surrender. For your power is nothing compared to mine. What I taught you is but a drop in the bucket of my knowledge.” Knox struggled to break free but the clones vanished in wisps of smoke. 

The remaining clones battled the brothers until the last clone fell. Aldar had no reason to conjure more as he had what he wanted for now.

Chris dropped to a knee after unleashing so much lightning. “Damn! He has Knox!”

Wyatt looked around for anything that they might follow to save Knox and stop Aldar. “What for? Is he doing this to punish Knox?”

Joey shivered as he sensed dark magic brewing downstairs, which Chris and Wyatt soon noticed. Joey pointed to the basement. “Aldar will use Knox as a sacrifice. Like Aster did for Mark. We have to stop him, now!”

*~*

The Aldar clones kept Knox restrained as another clone poured the remainder of Asmodeus’s ashes over Knox, while the real Aldar held a handful of seeds. These seeds, however, would grow nothing good as their lumpy surface had a dark green aura surrounding them. Aldar smirked with the reversed pentagram on his forehead growing brighter after smearing fresh blood onto it from his bleeding hand. 

Aldar raised the seeds to Knox. “You owe me a promise.”

Knox struggled to break free and fight before it was too late for him. “You’re insane, Aldar! These are the Old Ones. They don’t know gratitude or repayment. They will destroy their fellow demons as soon as they would mortals! You are sowing the seeds of your downfall!”

Aldar smirked. The seeds floated from his hand and began to hover around Knox. “I am sowing seeds, but not of my downfall.” He looked over Knox’s shoulder as the brothers orbed into the basement. “I am ending all that is good!” He snapped his fingers. The seeds merged into Knox’s body, causing him to scream horrifically. Aldar laughed while tilting his hand back to draw the Ancient Athame from its mount. He slashed his wrist to draw more blood. “Now, rise! Rise, Master Dominus! The world is yours!”

The blood gushed from Aldar’s wrist and began to ensnare Knox and him. The brothers attempted to interrupt the ritual but got blocked by a dark-green force field. Aldar anticipated the brothers’ interference and created enough protection. Chris hurled a lightning blast but his magic didn’t so much as scratch the barrier. 

Knox’s screams grew louder as the seeds tore his insides apart. His eyes started to roll back while he floated in the air, surrounded now by a green aura. Blood gushed from his mouth and as Aldar’s blood entered Knox orally. Knox’s body thrashed in the air as his eyes turned yellow.

“Yes!” Aldar cheered. “Come, Master Dominus! Rise! Rise!” 

Knox’s bones cracked and his body twisted itself. An eerie laugh escaped from Knox as he turned to Aldar as the last of the clones vanished. “Delightful. I am alive!” The deepness in Knox’s voice sounded unnatural. The brothers could sense a malevolence in the air that reminded them of Asmodeus’s presence. “This world is mine!”

Aldar dropped to his knees while continuing to hold onto the Ancient Athame. “It is all yours, Master Dominus! I have done all that I could to insure your return. And now here you are! Bathing this unworthy world with your divinity!” 

Dominus nodded as he stared at his hand with the skin slowly turning green. “I hunger. I must devour more souls.” 

“Which you shall have!” Aldar pointed the athame to the brother. “And there! There are the Charmed Ones. Good witches who seek the Ancient Athame for themselves. And those miserable witches are responsible for vanquishing Lord Asmodeus!”

“Asmodeus!” Dominus turned to glare at the brothers. His eyes flashed dark yellow. “Then, I must punish them.”

A wave of dark-green energy rippled out from Dominus’s body. The brothers screamed as they could feel destructive magic spreading throughout the house. They got knocked into a nearby wall but the magic grew stronger. It unleashed a potent force that tore the house from its hinges, binding, and foundation. 

The weight of the house came crashing down on the basement where it would surely kill the brothers. Their screams echoed across the collapsing house as they struggled to escape certain death.

*~*

A blast of telekinetic energy erupted from the rubble of Aldar’s haunted house. The removal of the rubble exposed a blue force field and the brothers underneath it. Wyatt released the force field so that they could escape from the pit before more of the rubble collapsed onto them. 

They stumbled out on the street with only mild injuries from having a house collapse on them. Luckily, Joey blasted some of the rubble which allowed Wyatt the opportunity to create his force field. From there, Chris could dig them out to freedom.

Wyatt brushed some of the splinters and the wallpaper fragments from his clothes. “That was a close one. Next time an ancient demon rises, we try to run before they blow up a building.”

“Deal,” said Chris.

“Agreed,” said Joey. 

They moved further from the smokey remains of Aldar’s house. They tried to figure out where Dominus and Aldar fled to but felt demonic energy surrounding them. They looked above to find Dominus and Aldar floating above with Aldar grinning and continuing to hold onto the Ancient Athame as Dominus stared out into the world while wearing Knox’s body as a vessel. 

The changes remained far more subtle than they recalled when Asmodeus devoured Aster’s body. Dominus turned Knox’s skin light-green and had four, thick, green tentacles growing from his back.

Dominus clenched his fist and smiled. “This world has changed so much. And yet, it is so weak. I see much to devour.”

Aldar nodded as he pointed the Ancient Athame at the brothers. “It is all yours, Lord Dominus! Everything belongs to the Old Ones! You have your first meal here, while I’ve prepared a delightful feast for you at the academy!”

The brothers gasped as they could hear what Aldar said. 

Dominus licked his lips which began to crack as he continued to slowly alter Knox’s appearance. “Delightful. Then, I should start with a little snack.” 

“Begin, my lord.” Aldar gestured for Dominus to consume the brothers but the tentacles went for his neck. Aldar gasped, the air crushed out from him before he could protest Dominus. 

Dominus howled with laughter. More of the tentacles ensnared Aldar as Dominus drained the life and power from Aldar’s body. Aldar’s body became a withered husk that fell to the ground and collapsed like dust as Dominus took everything that Aldar had to offer. 

A tentacle even wrapped itself around the Ancient Athame and brought it to Dominus. He took the athame then glanced at the brothers. “You lose. I will drain this world dry and avenge my brother, Asmodeus. But first, onto my main course.” Dominus vanished in a swirl of magic, heading for the Knox Academy. 

“Shit!” shouted the brothers as they watched Dominus disappear.

Joey clenched his fists. “We need to hurry! Everyone at the academy is sitting ducks! They won’t stand a chance against Dominus.”

“Neither will we,” said Chris. “Not without a proper spell or weapon.”

Wyatt nodded. “We have weapons. The best we can do is attempt to disarm Dominus and take the Ancient Athame for ourselves. Then, stab him with it!”

“Stab him till he dies?” Chris shook his head. “Is that really our best plan?”

Joey shrugged as he grabbed Chris’s arm. “For now it is. Now, hurry! Before Tyler and everyone else is killed.”

Chris and Wyatt agreed. They orbed for Knox Academy, praying that they were not too late.

*~*

As the sunset over San Francisco, Knox Academy turned into a warzone as Dominus attempted to feast upon its every occupant. The students, faculty, and staff stood no chance of defeating an Old One alone. The best they could do was slow Dominus down and attempt to flee.

Dominus changed more since beginning his attack. Knox’s body remained no more as Dominus took complete control and remade the body into his image. Dominus’s green skin covered a more muscular physique with more tentacles coming from his back. He had a beastly face with large fangs and a purple tongue. His eyes burned yellow as he grabbed a dark-haired student by the throat while grabbing a silver-haired faculty member with a tentacle. 

In seconds, their bodies melted to nothing. Dominus devoured their essences, licking his mouth as his hunger slowly became satisfied. However, it wasn’t enough. He needed more to reach satisfaction. 

“More!” roared Dominus. “I must have more!” He sent his tentacles out to grab more people. 

A freckle-faced boy tripped over a crack on the sidewalk and landed on the grass. A tentacle almost grabbed him when a sonic blast struck the tentacle. Another staff member narrowly escaped a similar assault when a fireblast burned a tentacle. Dominus hissed from the assault upon his magnificent form. 

Meanwhile, Tyler stood beside a black-skinned man that projected sonic blasts from his hands. The sonic blasts stunned Dominus’s tentacles, slowing the assault as effectively as Tyler’s fire.

Tyler kept close to the man. “Good work, Kareem. Hopefully, we can stay alive until the brothers get here.”

Kareem gulped. “You sure we can hold this guy off? He looks pretty strong.”

Tyler held Kareem’s hand. “Have a little faith in me, husband.” He turned to his left to see a red-haired teacher escorting a student from the courtyard. “Alyssa! Keep the evacuation procedures moving! We’ll hold off the demon.”

Alyssa nodded. “Be careful, Tyler! Kareem!” She grabbed the student’s hand and ordered the others to follow her lead. 

Dominus roared as he saw his meals fleeing. He attempted to go after them, but Tyler and Kareem kept interfering. Their magic proved effective enough as Dominus hadn’t regained all his strength yet.

Fire and sonic blasts kept striking Dominus. No matter how hard he tried to press forward, Dominus found resistance. It infuriated Dominus as he could not stand for this disrespect and the growing hunger. Then, he recalled the Ancient Athame that he had in hand. The athame made him smile.

“You will pay.” Dominus levitated the Ancient Athame from his hand. “You will pay for challenging me!”

“Oh, shut up!” Before Dominus could launch the Ancient Athame, a golden arrow sailed across the courtyard and stuck Dominus’s shoulder. Dominus howled, while Tyler and Kareem could breathe a sigh of relief. They looked behind them to find Joey approaching them with Apollo’s Bow. Joey drew another arrow. “We’ve kicked an Old One’s ass before! We can do it again! Isn’t that right?”

Dominus stumbled forward and ripped the arrow from his shoulder. The blow didn’t prove fatal but it would leave a nasty scar. Dominus tried to go after Joey when a violet chain of energy wrapped around Dominus’s neck, pulling him back a few inches. Dominus dragged his feet to the ground as he looked to spot Chris restraining him with Starbreaker. 

Chris grinned as he did all that he could to maintain his grip. “As my little brother said, we’ve fought your kind before! We know what to expect!”

Dominus hissed. “You know nothing!” 

“We know it all!” Wyatt’s voice echoed across the courtyard. He jumped from the clocktower and vanished in a swirl of orbs. Before Dominus could counter-attack, Wyatt reappeared. Wyatt plunged Excalibur into Dominus’s chest, narrowly missing his heart. “You’re going down, you evil shit!”

“Bah!” Dominus spat black blood. He punched Wyatt in the chest, knocking him across the courtyard. He twisted his body around and flung Chris over his shoulder while also forcing Starbreaker to retract itself. Wyatt and Chris landed near Joey. Dominus massaged his injured neck while Excalibur remained stuck in his chest. “No! You cannot defeat me! I am Dominus! I am an Old One! Older than words! Older than your miserable species!”

Kareem flipped Dominus off. “They’re the Charmed Ones! So you don’t stand a chance bozo!”

“That’s right!” said Tyler. “You’re done for!”

Joey gulped as he noticed that Dominus could move pretty well. “So, he’s not going down as easily as Asmodeus. And we were weaker back then. What do we do now?”

Wyatt shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I’m not the Old One expert.”

Chris dropped Starbreaker while he grabbed Wyatt and Joey’s hand as he got back on his feet. “We need a Power of Three spell, now! Any suggestions?”

Dominus stumbled towards them. Joey tossed Apollo’s Bow so that he could focus on their magic. “Let’s try Potentia Trium.” 

Wyatt and Chris nodded as Dominus got closer. They broke hand contact as they raised their hands, pointing them at Dominus. “ _Potentia Trium_!” They recited the spell three times, triggering the magic. They unleashed a blast of azure lightning that struck Dominus square on the chest. The blast hurled Dominus across the courtyard but did little to vanquish him. The magic appeared to slow him down at best.

The energy faded from their hands, leaving them down a spell. 

“Fuck!” said Joey. 

Chris shook his head. “Do we try summoning the ancestors? That worked on Asmodeus, right?”

Wyatt almost summoned Excalibur back to his hand but noticed that the sword wound proved effective in slowing Dominus’s progress. He brought his hand to his chest. “Something isn’t right. What are we doing this time that is so different from when we fought Asmodeus?”

Light-blue orbs gathered as Brody came into full view. He nearly screamed when he saw Dominus but maintained his composure. He ran towards the brothers while holding a sheet of paper. “Old Ones! The heart!” Brody took a deep breath to steady himself. “You have to destroy the heart before you can kill an Old One. It’s a two-step process.” He handed the sheet of paper over to them. “Speaking of two-step. The Elders made you a vanquishing spell.”

Joey took the paper. “Great! Exactly what we needed. But did we destroy the heart last time?”

Brody nodded. “You got lucky when you stabbed Asmodeus with Excalibur. You hit the heart without trying. That did the damage.”

“Right.” Wyatt gulped as he prepared to call Excalibur. “So, all we need is Dominus’s heart!” However, when Wyatt went to summon Excalibur, his magic triggered something else. Dominus howled as orbs fluttered around his chest then the orbs gathered around Wyatt’s hand. A red, squishy organ landed on Wyatt’s palm which made him scream as he dropped it. “Gross! What the fuck is that?”

Chris gagged. “I take it that’s the heart. You orbed it out of him.”

“Gross!” screamed Wyatt and Joey.

Tyler nodded as he touched his forehead. “Gross indeed.” Fire arose from the ground and swallowed the heart. The heart crumbled to ash as Tyler melted it down. “The heart’s destroyed.” 

“Now, say your spell!” shouted Kareem.

The brothers joined hands as they recited the spell from the Elders. “ _The Power of Three versus one Old One. The most ancient evil under the sun. Your time is up, your days are done. Now make this Old One come undone!_ ”

Dominus howled as fire covered his body. The green glow of his body faded out to nothing as he exploded in a wave of magic that knocked everyone from their feet. Excalibur and the Ancient Athame survived the blast, falling to the ground over Dominus’s ashy remains. 

Everyone slowly got back onto their feet as they bounced back from the spell’s ripple effect. 

Chris cheered. “That actually worked! Go, team!”

Joey nodded as he massaged his head. “That spell is going into the Book of Shadows. Along with an updated entry for the Old Ones.”

Wyatt stumbled over to Dominus’s ashes. He grabbed Excalibur and the Ancient Athame. He smiled as he stared at the Ancient Athame, sensing a peculiar power contained within it. “There it is. We have our weapon to kill the Hellfire Club and the Source’s essence. One problem down.”

“Good work, guys,” said Brody.

Chris turned to Tyler and Kareem. “What happens to the school? Knox was Dominus’s vessel and is dead now. Do you shut down?”

Tyler chuckled as he shook his head. “There’s a chain of command in place. We can keep the school going.”

Kareem looked at the frightened faces of everyone else as they stepped out of the building, seeing that it was safe. They had a mild sense of relief since they witnessed for themselves that the brothers vanquished Dominus even as many lost their lives. “We’ll make it work. It’ll take time, but the school will bounce back. First, we’ll honor the dead. Including Knox.”

“We’ll do our part to help,” said Joey, “since it’s partly our fault that Dominus even attacked. If we hadn’t brought Knox with us.”

Tyler patted Joey’s shoulder. “It’s okay...you couldn’t have known things would turn out as they did. We’ll deal with the consequences.”

Wyatt slid the Ancient Athame into his pocket as the moon slowly shinned over them. “We will. So, where do we start?”

*~*

The Hellfire Club gathered at their table. Zurie brought a scrying crystal and projected a live feed of the brothers battling Dominus. They witnessed the downfall of another Old One at the hands of the Charmed Ones, while the Ancient Athame also fell to the hands of the Halliwells. 

Zurie waved her hand against the projection to cut the feed. She leaned back against her chair. “Well, that turned out as I foresaw. The Charmed Ones defeated another of our ancestors.”

Abigor seethed from his seat as he stared at the crystal. “The Charmed Ones now hold a weapon that can kill us.” He reached for Soulbane from its sheath. He grabbed the handle as Lamia reached for his hand. “We must kill them!”

“Calm, brother.” Lamia gently nudged Abigor back to his seat. She smiled. “Remember. This is what we wanted to happen.”

Zagon chuckled while sipping his wine. “We have contingency plans in place. The Charmed Ones will not get the chance to use the Ancient Athame against us. Isn’t that right?” He glanced at Azazel and Seth who began to grin.

Azazel and Seth snapped their fingers. A cloud of smoke arose from the ground as they brought the mirror that contained Barbas out from the basement and into their meeting room. Everyone grinned, while Barbas glared at them.

Azazel waved his hand. “Now, Barbas. Do tell us. How does the state of the world look? Is it basking in fear?”

Barbas refused to speak until Seth clenched his fist. Magic rippled across the mirror and reached across the dimensions to strike Barbas with pain. Barbas shuddered as he held onto his chest before taking a deep breath. “It’s almost time.” Barbas hissed at them as he straightened himself out. “All you need is one cataclysmic event to set the stage. An event of global terror.”

Seth licked his lips. Evil thoughts brewed in his mind while he brainstormed how to derail his family’s hopes and dreams. “I think that I have the perfect plan. One that my relatives will never see coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! The brothers have the Ancient Athame now, but will that be enough? And what is that awful Seth planning?
> 
> Onto my book! My book series "The Nephilim Chronicles" follows seventeen-year-old Tyler Watanabe Costa who is a Nephilim, a human descendant of the Archangels, entrusted to protect the Earth from the forces of Hell. In the first book "Angel's Gate," an organization of vampires seeks to resurrect their king, and only Tyler and his friends (a demon-hunter, a family of witches, and another Nephilim) stand in the way of averting the Apocalypse. Can they save the world? Or will the world fall to the demons?
> 
> So if you like the tone of Charmed: Generation Z and are a fan of diversity (race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality) then you might like the Nephilim Chronicles! You can hit me up on my socials with my @'s on my profile here.


	40. Beast of Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, wonderful readers! Hopefully, 2021 turns out to be a much better year for everyone.
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!

That morning, Wyatt dumped the coffee grounds into the trash can. He helped Piper finish cleaning the kitchen after breakfast before everyone left. He could hear Selena’s joyful screaming as Leo chased her around the manor. 

Wyatt laughed while he walked over to Piper as she finished washing a dish. “So, what do you have planned for today? Are you going to help dad with his paperwork?”

“Nope! Your father has to work alone.” Piper cut the water off and started drying her hands. “I’m going to the Knox Academy with Paige and Phoebe. We’re going to help Tyler with getting things organized for the interim headmaster.”

Wyatt bit his lip. It didn’t take much work to recall last week where they witnessed Montgomery Knox’s death and fought against Dominus. The only good thing to come out of that day is that they got the Ancient Athame, which they left in a safe in Leo’s office at Magic School. They couldn’t think of anywhere else safe enough to secure the athame until they could strike against Seth and the Hellfire Club.

Wyatt nodded. “Well, that sounds like fun. Gordon and I are having lunch with his parents. So, if you need anything.”

“I’ll call your brothers,” said Piper.

“Thank you!”

They finished cleaning the kitchen when they noticed the quiet outside the kitchen. They didn’t hear Selena’s screaming or notice Leo’s heavy footsteps. Wyatt squinted his eyes and muttered how he didn’t like the quiet. He walked outside the kitchen with Piper following as they made it to the dining room as Leo ran across the hall.

Since Leo didn’t have shoes on, Leo slid a little across the floor. He grabbed onto the stair rail for balance when he noticed Wyatt and Piper. “Don’t freak out!”

Piper tilted her head. “Freak out?”

Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest. “About what?”

Leo gave a nervous smile. “I lost Selena.”

“You what!” Wyatt slammed his hand on the dining room table. “Dad! How did you lose my kid? She can barely walk, much less run.”

Leo shook his head. “She’s freakishly graceful and fast when she’s excited.”

Piper rolled her eyes. She kept a hand on Wyatt’s shoulder so that he didn’t hit Leo. “What happened? Weren’t you two playing?”

“Yeah. We started chasing each other. I let her get a head start then when I went to catch her, she just disappeared.”

“Disappeared!” Wyatt groaned. “Babies don’t just disappear, dad.” He looked to the front door and sunroom doors. “You didn’t leave the doors open, did you?”

“Of course not!” Leo looked behind him to make sure that the front door wasn’t accidentally left open. “And I didn’t hear her climb upstairs. She’s not that mobile yet.”

Piper nodded. “And she wasn’t in the kitchen. She’s probably hiding underneath a couch or a table.”

Wyatt took a deep breath. “Hopefully.” He crouched to look underneath the dining room table. “Selena? Selena! Where are you?” Wyatt barely straightened up when he noticed rainbow-colored orbs gathering above his head. He squinted his eyes since he didn’t know what to think when he heard Selena screaming. The orbs solidified as Selena came diving from above with Wyatt catching her at the last moment. “Jesus Christ! Where did you come from?”

“Da-da!” Selena squealed. 

Leo and Piper’s jaws fell since they saw Selena orb. 

It took a second more before Wyatt realized it too. Wyatt smiled. “Baby girl, did you orb?” He laughed as Selena continued to squeal as he lifted her higher. He sighed now that he realized the awful prank she pulled on them. “She was playing hide and seek...an awful version of the game.” He turned to Piper and Leo. “I have more of this to look forward to, don’t I?”

Piper grinned. “There is no sweeter revenge for a parent than seeing their kid getting terrorized by the grandchild.”

Leo patted Wyatt’s shoulder. “Now, you get to experience what we dealt with because of you and your brothers. Good luck, kid.”

Wyatt held Selena closer as he realized that it would only get worse from now on. 

*~*

Meanwhile, Nomed kneeled before the Hellfire Club. His eyes would nervously glance to the twisted mirror that kept Barbas prisoner as the Club didn’t bother hiding anything anymore, not when they were so close to releasing Neferica. Now, Nomed knew of their plans and he understood the role that he had to play.

Nomed tried not to make any sudden movements. Years ago, he would’ve cursed himself for falling under the control of upper-level demons. But the enticing power that they offered proved too great to ignore even as he could anticipate his coming trouble. No, not trouble. He knew himself as nothing more than a sacrificial lamb. 

Zurie stepped away from her comrades. She presented a dark-red crystal that she left in front of Nomed. “You understand your mission, correct? There is no turning back.”

“I am to serve the Hellfire Club and all evil.” Nomed kept his head low as he closed his eyes. He reached for the crystal. “I will fulfill your will.”

Seth smiled as he walked out of the room. “Good. We are on the eve of our victory, but we must make certain that my family cannot derail our plans. You have our blessing to do whatever is necessary, Nomed. Raise all the Hell that you can! Pull no punches!” Seth glanced at Barbas’s mirror. His hand rubbing against the doorframe as he noticed Barbas’s glare. “Don’t forget your part, Barbie. Spread fear for us.”

Barbas hissed at Seth before shifting his gaze away. “I will perform my role, brat.” He flinched as the dark magic surged across the mirror. He clenched onto his chest while the cracked glass further repaired itself. 

Nomed gulped. If a demon as great as Barbas could fall so far, Nomed knew he stood no chance. He stuffed the crystal into his pocket. He stood and lifted his head, staring at the Hellfire Club. He knew that they wouldn’t whether or not he survived this mission as they had everything that they needed now.

And while Nomed wouldn’t dare admit it, he hoped that the Charmed Ones won this war.

*~*

At the Knox Academy, Tyler finished refilling everyone’s coffees. He got Piper, Phoebe, and Paige to help as they cleared out Knox’s belongings and started the process of getting a new headmaster. Kareem sipped his coffee as he mentioned how the deputy headmaster took over Knox’s position in the meantime to keep things orderly. 

Phoebe crossed her legs as she adjusted herself on the seat. “How are things looking for the school? It’s not in danger of getting shut down because of the parents?”

“The parents are worried,” said Tyler, “which has caused some problems, but we’re keeping things together. Most are pretty supportive.”

Paige sighed. “And that is why I’m glad that I am no longer running Magic School. I loved the kids and my staff, but the parents are the worst!”

Piper chuckled. “Leo makes the same complaints every night.” 

“For good reason.” Kareem looked over the job posting for grammar issues. He sighed from the work ahead of him. “It’s a shame that the deputy headmaster doesn’t want the job. It would make things so much easier. Now, we have to look outside. We’re almost desperate enough to take any warm body. But we need somebody competent who is good at handling high-pressure situations.”

Phoebe hummed. A thought crossed her mind. “What are your opinions on ex-demons?”

Kareem raised his eyebrows. He shrugged. “Half the school population is on the chaotic-neutral side of things so it’s not that big of a deal. Why? You know someone?”

“I have a friend who might be interested in the job.” Phoebe smirked as Paige and Piper looked at her with curiosity. “Kyra. She’s looking for something new. Plus, she’s a former Seer and centuries-old. She has a lot of wisdom to offer.”

“Have her send a resume,” said Tyler. 

As they could see themselves averting one crisis, another knocked on the door. Tyler and Kareem barely had the chance to acknowledge the knock when the door swung open. A frantic student ran into the office. 

The student’s cornrows had colorful beads on the ends to show her playful personality. However, the playfulness vanished as the student wept. She stared at Tyler and Kareem. “Mr. Michaels! Mr. Scales! You have to do something.”

Kareem got up from his chair and joined Tyler as they carefully approached the student. The sisters appeared equally as concerned while Kareem gestured the student to sit. “What’s wrong, Tanya?” asked Kareem. “Did someone attack you?”

Tanya shook her head. “I went to the memorial. To lay some flowers for everyone.” She brushed her tears with her coat sleeve. “I heard them. I could hear everyone that died crying. They’re afraid.

“From their deaths?” asked Kareem.

The sisters turned to Tyler, confused as to what happened. Tyler whispered that Tanya’s a medium with necromantic powers that amplified her ability to communicate with the dead. 

“No. Not because they died.” Tanya’s gaze shifted as she noticed the sisters. She could hear faint whisperings from the dead that no one else could. She choked out her next words. “They want me to warn your family. Something is coming. Something as frightening as the Old One that attacked the school. It’ll be here soon.”

The sisters felt their hearts sink as they took Tanya’s words seriously. They knew that they couldn’t risk anything not when they knew that the Hellfire Club was so close to releasing Neferica.

Piper took out her phone to text her sons so that they could prepare themselves for the impending threat.

*~*

At the apartment, Chris finished a phone call with a client. He went back into his office to leave his USB drive behind after backing up some photos. 

Chris scratched his head. “Yes, Mr. Reynolds. I can have everything ready Friday. I am working on some final edits, but I’m currently not anticipating any delays.” Chris nodded as he listened to Mr. Reynolds’ requests. “Yes, sir. Not a problem. You have a wonderful day.” He hung up the phone and breathed a heavy sigh. He thanked his lucky stars that despite some warnings from other photographers, Mr. Reynolds wasn’t that much of a nightmare to work for.

“Okay. So that’s one less thing to fret over. Now, onto the Christensen project. That won’t kick my ass.”

Chris almost decided to orb his computer into the office but decided not to act that lazy. He went back into the kitchen to get it when he noticed three, leather-clothed demons shimmering into the apartment. He jumped around the corner when the demons fired energy balls at him. The energy balls blasted the walls instead. 

Chris hissed. “Fuck! There goes the security deposit.” He clenched his fist with electricity gathering around his hands. He came around the corner and fired a lightning blast at a demon, while the other two narrowly avoided the attack. Another demon fired an energy ball and nearly hit Chris, but Chris dodged the attack again. This time, the energy ball struck the TV, which really pissed off Chris. “Bastards! You’re going to pay for that!” 

“Surround him!” howled the demon that blew up the TV.

The other demon shimmered across the apartment to appear in front of Chris. Chris squinted his eyes and pushed the demon across the apartment while the other demon charged at him. Chris waved his hand and orbed a knife into the demon’s chest, sending him to the Wasteland too.

Chris ran after the remaining demon but found that he vanished. Chris looked around until he saw the demon reappear near the kitchen table where Chris set up his workstation. “Get out of my house!” Chris fired another lightning blast that struck the demon. Unfortunately, the lightning expanded and short-circuited his laptop too. 

With the demons dead, Chris could look at the mess the fight caused, especially focusing on his laptop. He shook his head and screamed. “Fuck! I don’t think I backed up the Christensen project!” 

*~*

Outside the city, Joey and Carver prepared for another full moon. They found a secluded spot to camp since a group of campers took over their usual spot. They made it work as they ventured deeper into the woods where no one would notice a four-hundred-pound werewolf running loose.

Since these full moon trips became a recurring part of their lives, they invested in a small camper. It had only enough space for a bed and some storage. The lack of a bathroom bothered Joey, but they couldn’t afford anything bigger and fancier yet so he had to suffer going outside for the bathroom and relying on shower wipes. He could at least look forward to the end of their trips when they used the campgrounds’ shower to get a somewhat decent bath until they got home.

Carver pulled their cooler out from the car. They had enough food for their overnight stay so that he could have one night where he could go full wolf. “You hungry, babe? Want me to fix you a sandwich or do you want the salad?” Carver placed the cooler on the ground as Joey screamed and flew across their campsite, while a bulky demon with an orcish-face stepped around the trailer.

Joey landed on his right arm. He went to check on the trailer when the orc-faced demon attacked him. He stumbled to get on his feet. “Demon! Big demon!”

The orc-faced demon laughed. “Kill. The. Witch!” The demon clenched his burly fist while Joey struggled to regain his composure. It allowed the demon the chance to strike and he would’ve hit Joey with another brutal attack, but Werewolf-Carver intercepted the attack. 

Werewolf-Carver instantly shifted. His clothes tore against his colossal frame, while much of the fabric littered the ground as he hadn’t already changed into the Elven fabric. He grabbed the demon’s hand then sank his fangs into the demon’s shoulder. The demon howled as his green blood sprayed everywhere. 

Joey regained his balance and noticed Werewolf-Carver fighting the demon. He took a deep breath, gathering scarlet energy over his body. “Wolfy! Push the demon away! I’ll vanquish him!”

Werewolf-Carver nodded. He shoved the orc-faced demon as hard as he could muster, sending the demon stumbling several feet. Joey unleashed a mighty energy blast as large as Werewolf-Carver to strike the demon. The energy burned the demon’s flesh and shattered his bones as he died a painful death.

Ashes piled over the grass, leaving nothing else of the demon.

Joey fell to his knees. He got light-headed after projecting such a large amount of energy at once, a feat he hadn’t tried before now. “That could’ve gone so much worse.” He sighed. Werewolf-Carver let out a low growl as he approached Joey, gently touching Joey’s cheek. Joey smiled as he ran a hand on Werewolf-Carver’s chest. “Thank you for saving me, Wolfy. I can always count on my husband to save me.”

Werewolf-Carver smiled, at least, as close as a werewolf could.

*~*

Meanwhile, Wyatt carried Selena as Gordon followed him in the dark parking garage. Gordon ran his hand on Wyatt’s back since they couldn’t hold hands because holding Selena required both hands. 

They finished lunch with Gordon’s parents at an expensive steakhouse. Gordon continued to mumble how his parents never treated him and his sister to expensive meals like that one when they were growing up. Partly, they couldn’t afford expensive meals because they focused all their funds on growing the restaurant. But now that the restaurant made a decent profit, things changed. 

However, Gordon didn’t accept his parents turning over a new leaf that easily. “I bet they’re doing it because of you.” Gordon grabbed his keys and unlocked the car. “They’re trying to impress you.”

“Why?” Wyatt laughed. “Your parents have known me since I was like fourteen. They know how messy I am.”

Gordon shrugged. “Maybe this is their way to make sure I get married to a white boy? If I don’t marry another Chinese guy then a white guy from some money will do?”

“So you’re saying that your parents are racist and classist?” Wyatt cringed as he started to put Selena in her car seat. For once, Selena didn’t fight Wyatt as he got her buckled into the car seat. “Damn! You’re going after your parents hard today.”

“You’re right. I should just enjoy the fancy dinner.” Gordon reached for his car handle when he felt a fist across his face. A great deal of force knocked the air out of him, while he crashed into a nearby wall. 

Wyatt finished buckling Selena into her car seat when he saw a pale blue-skinned demon that reminded him of the White Walkers from _Game of Thrones_. The demon had tattoos across his body towering over Gordon. The demon slowly turned his head to Wyatt, showing a toothy grin. “Gordon!” Wyatt slammed the door to keep Selena safely inside the car as he ran after the demon.

The demon waved his hand, blasting Wyatt with a chilly wind. The wind propelled Wyatt onto the hood of a nearby car, setting off its alarm. The sudden noise caused Selena to scream with the demon noticing her now. The demon glided towards the car door, pulling it open so that he could after Selena next.

“Don’t you dare touch her!” Gordon got back on his feet in time to save Selena. He tackled the demon as hard as he could, pushing the demon away from the car. The demon regained his footing and lunged after Gordon, moving to throw another punch when his arm suddenly exploded.

The demon howled as his blood went everywhere. 

Wyatt had his hand raised as he rolled from the car’s hood. He ignored the constant ringing from the car’s alarm to focus on blasting the demon’s arm. He waved his hand again, blasting the demon’s chest. The demon howled as the combustive blast struck with enough force to vanquish him.

Wyatt stumbled back towards Gordon’s car. He opened the door and placed his hand on Selena’s face to get her to settle down, while Gordon joined them on the opposite side. Gordon looked a little glassy-eyed so Wyatt reached over to heal Gordon from the injuries. 

The golden light washed over Gordon. He relaxed in the backseat as the pain and dizziness vanished. “Good work, Wyatt. You kicked another demon’s ass.”

“No.” Wyatt finished healing Gordon. He looked at Selena who stopped crying then looked back at Gordon, smiling. “You didn’t even hesitate. You jumped right in to protect Selena from that demon.”

Gordon nodded. “Of course.” He held Wyatt’s hand while touching Selena’s car seat. “She’s my maybe step-daughter. I gotta step up to protect her like a good step-daddy.”

Wyatt wanted to laugh, but he cried instead. He leaned over to kiss Gordon while realizing that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Gordon. As they kissed, Wyatt’s phone vibrated as he got bombarded with texts from Chris and Joey of similar demon attacks.

*~*

The brothers rushed to Halliwell Manor after their demonic encounters. Chris got their first and went up to the attic to search the Book of Shadows for information regarding the demons. So far, he found nothing that stood out to him as these attacks appeared far too organized which screamed of the Hellfire Club’s involvement. 

Chris found the entry on Shax which resembled the demon that Wyatt and Gordon faced to a small degree. He considered a possible relation when he heard footsteps outside the attic. He looked up to find Wyatt and Gordon coming into the attic with Gordon carrying Selena this time.

Wyatt shook his head. “Any luck on identifying the demons? We need to figure out why so many different demons attacked us at the same time.”

“Maybe the Club took a bounty out on us?” Chris shrugged. “As for your demon, it almost sounds like Shax, but different. You said the demon hit you with cold air, well, Shax can manipulate air too.”

“But mom vanquished him decades ago.” Wyatt turned to Gordon and Selena as they sat on an old sofa. “Something weird is going on. I don’t like any of it.”

Chris didn’t know what else to say. He couldn’t think of anything that might help as he left the Book to get the scrying crystal and map. “Might as well search for evil. See if that drops any hints.”

As Chris began to scry, light-blue orbs gathered in the attic. Brody appeared with Joey and Carver as he got the call to rescue them from the campsite. 

Joey brushed a clump of dirt from his pants and looked up to the ceiling. “Now would be a good time to give me a premonition! We need to figure out what the fuck is going on.”

“Ahem!” said Wyatt. Joey turned around to see Gordon covering Selena’s ears. “Ease up on cursing in front of my child.”

“Sorry.”

Carver chuckled as he went over to Gordon and Selena. Despite the full moon coming, Carver retained a great deal of self-control since he let most of his rage out on the orc-faced demon. “Yo, Gordon. How about we give them some space? I’ll help you put Selena down for a nap.”

Gordon saw Wyatt give them a thumbs up. “Sure. Let’s leave the Charmed Ones to saving the world.” He carried Selena as he followed Carver out of the attic.

Brody crossed his arms. “You’re not the only ones under attack. The Elders are getting reports of attacks across the globe. Some of them are particularly odd.”

“Odd in what way?” asked Wyatt.

“Demons that resemble vanquished demons weird.” Brody walked over to the Book of Shadows. He noticed Shax’s entry. “Did you stop searching or did you notice certain similarities?”

Wyatt nodded. “They weren’t exactly similar, but they’re close enough.”

Joey walked over to the Book of Shadows. His fingers barely grazed the page when his body tensed up and he closed his eyes. Broken images flashed before his mind as the vision appeared like static, making it difficult for him to identify anything. However, he did see a pulsating portal in the sky that spat out numerous demons, some of whom he recognized as vanquished demons.

Joey pulled his hand away and opened his eyes. “What the fuck!”

Wyatt and Brody turned to him. “You see something?” asked Wyatt. 

“Demons coming out of a portal. Lots of them.” Joey pointed at the Book of Shadows. “Some even looked like vanquished demons. But how is that possible? Are they coming from the Wasteland? Did the Hellfire Club figure out how to reverse their deaths?”

Brody shook his head. “No. The Angel of Death and Angels of Destiny would’ve noticed such a cosmic shift. Your vision must mean something else. Not that I can see any outcome that isn’t as equally horrifying.”

The scrying crystal slipped from Chris’s fingers as it identified a key hotspot. Chris gulped as he stared at the map. “Horrifying like something happening at Golden Gate Bridge?”

The ground shook for a split second. It wasn’t enough to cause any damage, but it did leave everyone nervous. Soon afterward, they heard an explosion in the distance and the sky’s color shifted to magenta. They rushed to the window to see that the change of color centered across the city near Golden Gate Bridge, where a column of crimson light ascended into the sky.

It became abundantly clear that they found their hotspot for demonic activity. 

Wyatt clenched his fist and swallowed his fear as he turned to his brothers. “Suit up, men. There’s trouble afoot.” Chris and Joey nodded their heads, bracing themselves for whatever may come next.

*~*

Golden Gate Bridge slowly devolved into a scene in a disaster or superhero movie. People fled while leaving their vehicles abandoned. Towards the center of the bridge, a column of light ascended to the sky which acted as the source of the sky changing color. More vehicles crowded that area with small fires brewing from the accidents. The people there had a harder time attempting to run away, while emergency response crews tried to get to them.

The brothers arrived on the bridge with their magical weapons. They could see the chaos unfolding while sensing a tremendous amount of arcane energy around them. Meanwhile, the wind itself felt obscenely cold despite the burning light’s presence. It made everyone’s hair stand on end as the air had a static presence.

Chris squeezed onto Starbreaker’s handle. “There’s so much panic. What the hell is going on?”

Screeching echoed across the bridge. Everyone covered their ears from the painful sound when they noticed beastly shapes flying over their heads. Some appeared like giant bants while others more like humanoid-birds. 

“What are those!” screamed a pink-haired woman.

Joey’s eyes widened as he could see some of the creatures. “Those are some big demons.” He fired an arrow from Apollo’s Bow, vanquishing one of the demons. “The Hellfire Club is setting up a massacre.”

Wyatt nodded as he raised Excalibur. “We have to stop them. We gotta go straight for the source!” He grabbed Joey’s shoulder to carry Joey as Chris and him started to orb. 

They orbed across the bridge, stopping near the center. They found more people trying to flee but demons of all shapes and sizes blocked the paths to safety. The brothers moved onto the demons, fighting them so that the people could flee. 

Joey smacked a burly demon with the bow before firing an arrow through the demon’s skull. Wyatt slashed a pair of demons with Excalibur before striking a bat-demon with a combustive blast. Chris cracked his whip and lashed it everywhere to smite the nearby demons. Many demons fell, allowing more people to escape, but the numbers didn’t lighten up as the brothers spotted more people in danger. 

Chris wrapped his whip around a lizard-faced demon’s neck. He pulled the whip, forcing the demon onto its knees. “We’re too outnumbered here! There’s no way we can survive this alone!”

“You’re not alone!” The brothers looked behind them to see a giant demon falling onto an empty truck. They saw Bianca holding a blood-stained sword while Werewolf-Carver stood beside her, his claws drenched in the giant’s blood. Bianca blew a kiss at Chris. “The calvary is here!” 

The brothers soon noticed Paulina projected a dark-pink barrier with her Ring of Eos to save a group of people from a barrage of fireballs. Tamora flew nearby with green-energy wings and chased the flying demons with the Empyreal Sword. She slashed at every demon, while beneath her, Piper melted a demon’s face.

Joey lowered his bow and smiled. “Great! But where’s everyone else?”

Tamora flew a little closer as she finished stabbing a giant bird-like demon. “They’re on the other side of the bridge!”

While the brothers couldn’t see their other relatives, the rest of the family did their part to face a demonic horde. Phoebe levitated and kicked a feline-faced demon into the bay, while Paige orbed a car door at a group of demons. Hank ran down the bridge with a frozen spear as the Snow Queen’s brooch glowed. He flung the spear through a clown-faced demon’s skull before it could sink its fangs into a child. Meanwhile, PJ landed on the roof of a semi-truck. She projected dark-pink bullets from her Ring of Eos, blasting every demon that she could find.

Wyatt wanted to mutter his thanks for their family coming to the rescue, but they didn’t have time. The sky turned into a darker shade of magenta with a thunderclap echoing above them. “Hold the line, family! We’ll stop whatever is causing this mess!”

“Be careful!” shouted Tamora as she flew after another demon.

Wyatt waved his arm at Chris and Joey. They ran to the center of the bridge to face whatever unleashed this demonic army. They passed a few burning cars until they finally found Nomed standing beneath a floating body that had the dark-red crystal bulging from their chest.

Nomed had his back to the brothers, exposing no emotion as he stared at the floating body. He sensed the shift in magic and turned to them. “The Charmed Ones finally made it to the party. About time.” 

Joey drew an arrow. “Oh, look! It’s the Hellfire Club’s bitch!”

Nomed smirked. “General. Not that it matters. It looks like I’ll be entering an early retirement soon.” He noticed Joey itching to fire the arrow. But he wiggled his finger before pointing at the floating body. “I wouldn’t act so hasty, little witch. How else will you know what I’m up to? And, killing me might put your favorite Arachi at risk.”

“Arachi?” The brothers gasped. Joey lowered his bow. They stared at the body as it floated enough for them to see Kasey’s face. Despite floating, Kasey appeared perfectly still with his skin appearing paler than usual and dark veins bulging across his body. The crystal bulging from his chest proved worrisome, but it’s glow seemed to signal that it somehow corrupted Kasey’s powers. 

Wyatt pointed Excalibur at Nomed. “What did you do to Kasey!”

Chris triggered Starbreaker to take its whip form again. “Let Kasey go!”

Nomed shook his head. He walked a few steps from Kasey to get closer to the brothers. “I’ll do no such thing. I am merely following my superiors’ orders.” Nomed pointed to the sky. “I kidnapped your little Arachi friend for good reason. The Arachi will open a rift across dimensions. Demons from every universe will come to this world, turning it into our infernal paradise!” Nomed laughed. “And there is nothing you can do to stop us!”

“Like hell!” Wyatt orbed across the bridge to go after Nomed, while a cloud of smoke appeared from Nomed’s hand as he summoned a sword. Wyatt swung Excalibur but Nomed blocked the attack with his sword. Wyatt glared as Nomed smirked. 

Chris and Joey wanted to help Wyatt, but they couldn’t get a clear shot as Wyatt and Nomed crossed blades. They directed their attention instead on saving Kasey as they figured removing the crystal meant that the rift would close. Chris orbed him and Joey to Kasey, however, as they got closer, a wall of crimson energy blocked them from reaching Kasey. 

Wyatt moved with raw rage. He swung Excalibur with heavy swings that would’ve broken his arms if he wasn’t a witch. Nomed blocked the attacks and resisted injury because of his demon blood. They continued to trade blows, while the skies darkened and more demons spilled from the rift. 

Fed up with the fight, Wyatt decided to go for a cheap shot. Their swords collided once more, but Wyatt decided to knee Nomed’s groin. Nomed howled, air fleeing his lungs as Wyatt stabbed him in the shoulder. Nomed collapsed to the ground, sliding from Excalibur. Blood gushed from the wound and stained his dark clothes.

However, Wyatt didn’t get a chance to celebrate. A mighty roar echoed across the skies that made the ground quake and the bay water churn. Everyone looked to the rift, spotting a colossal clawed-hand emerging from the rift. Another five hands emerged as a green-skinned beast pulled itself from the rift and exposed its eyeless face. Multiple tentacles wiggled from the rift, connected to the beast’s back. The beast roared once more as it fully removed its body from the rift and entered their world.

Before the beast could come tumbling down, the tentacles wrapped around each other to form a pair of demonic wings. The beast flew over the bridge and continued to roar.

“Fuck!” said Chris and Joey.

Wyatt stared at the beast, jaw-dropped. “What in the hell kind of demon is that?”

Nomed laughed as he covered his bleeding shoulder. “Gaxageal, the Living Nightmare. Older than humanity. Older than words.” Nomed reached for a broken steel bar. “My superiors wanted the Arachi to release another Old One. And so long as the rift remains open, more Old Ones like Gaxageal can find their way to this dimension.” Nomed turned the steel bar, pointing it at his chest. “You can stop the coming destruction, but only if you sacrifice your last hope.” Nomed stabbed himself in the heart as he could see no better outcome as he would die sooner or later. At least now, he could die on his own terms. Flames washed over his body as he too joined the other fallen demons in the Wasteland.

Gaxageal flew over the bridge but instead of attacking them, it flew towards Alcatraz. 

Wyatt ran to Chris and Joey as they watched Gaxageal. They overheard Nomed’s final words and understood that they had to face another Old One. However, they also had their eyes on the rift. No demons or gigantic Old Ones came out from the rift, but it was only a matter of time until more appeared. 

Kasey continued to float, the crystal’s dark magic forcing him to use his powers even in an unconscious state.

Chris shook his head. “Any ideas? I don’t know how we can fight a demon of that size.”

“We just fight it.” Wyatt led them towards the edge of the bridge. “We kill Gaxageal as quickly as possible then seal the rift.”

Joey nodded. “Luckily, I still remember the spell we used on Dominus.”

Chris grabbed onto Joey’s hand as he and Wyatt prepared to orb. “Destroy the heart then recite the spell. Okay...let’s do this.” 

They orbed across the bay to Alcatraz Island. Gaxageal landed on the prison and began to demolish most of the building with its colossal body. Gaxageal’s tentacles knocked over the tower as it stomped over another wing of the building. The brothers stared at Gaxageal, confused at how they’d fight a demon of such size when they decided to go for it. 

Chris fired lightning blasts to get Gaxageal’s attention. The lightning struck its body but did little to harm it. Gaxageal turned from the minor annoyance as Wyatt unleashed a combustive blast on its face. Gaxageal roared from the irritation. Then, Joey blasted the ground beneath him. His energy blast generated enough force to send him flying. He began to fire several arrows without aiming. Given Gaxageal’s size, many of the arrows struck the Old One without any trouble. Unfortunately, the arrows barely grazed Gaxageal’s skin and only did slightly more harm than the other attacks. 

And before Joey broke his legs from the landing, Wyatt orbed Joey back to the ground. Meanwhile, Gaxageal belched a blast of yellow fire that struck the bay. Water flew everywhere, partially soaking the brothers. 

Gaxageal began swinging its tentacles after the brothers. Chris cracked his whip, Joey fired arrows, and Wyatt swung Excalibur to block the incoming tentacles. However, for every tentacle that they blocked, two more showed up. 

The tentacles grabbed Chris and Joey. Wyatt kept fighting when he saw his brothers falling prisoner and knew they’d die if Gaxageal noticed them, which it did. Gaxageal belched another blast of yellow fire that would burn Chris and Joey alive.

Wyatt looked at Excalibur and shook his head. “Come on, magic sword! You’re supposed to be like the ultimate weapon! So do something cool!” Wyatt swung Excalibur as Gaxageal’s fire blast got closer. Excalibur began glowing in a silvery light with an azure energy wave blowing in like a breeze that forced Gaxageal’s fire blast back at it.

The fire struck Gaxageal, forcing it to howl in agony. Gaxageal stumbled and crashed into another building as its tentacles unwound themselves and freed Chris and Joey.

Wyatt’s jaw dropped. “Excalibur redirected an Old One’s attack!”

Joey took a deep breath after Gaxageal’s tentacle nearly suffocated him. “Fuck yeah!” Joey stumbled over to Wyatt with Chris close behind. “About time Excalibur did something cool.”

Chris rubbed his sore chest. “We can gloat later. First, we have to stop this damn Old One before it bounces back.” 

They nodded. Joey touched their arms as they didn’t want to take any chances. They screamed, “Gaxageal’s heart!” Orbs fluttered around Gaxageal’s body. It continued to roar as they ripped its heart from its body. Hundreds of orbs appeared as a gigantic violet heart that towered over them landed in front of them. They stared at the giant heart for a split second before attacking it. Wyatt stabbed the heart, while Chris fired lightning and Joey blasted it with energy.

The heart began cracking and became a rotting organ. 

Chris and Wyatt turned back. “Joey!”

“On it!” Joey dropped the bow and grabbed onto their shoulders. He closed his eyes as he pulled the spell from his memory. “ _The Power of Three versus one Old One! The most ancient evil under the sun! Your time is up, your days are done! Now make this Old One come undone!_ ”

Gaxageal’s beastly roar echoed across the bay, while its body began to ripple almost like it was fading out from existence. Rainbow sparks covered its body before it finally exploded. The explosion’s intensity knocked the brothers back several feet, but they managed not to die. 

They coughed fiercely as the blast blew so much dirt in their faces. They started to get back on their feet since they had no time to waste. They needed to seal the rift before another Old One could arrive.

They orbed back to Golden Gate Bridge. Kasey remained floating in the air, while, luckily, no more demons appeared. They could still see their family fighting the remaining demons, motivating them to act fast. 

Joey moved to pull the crystal from Kasey’s chest. This time Joey could get close enough to touch the crystal but it wouldn’t budge. Chris considered orbing it when Wyatt immediately dropped that idea.

“Pulling the crystal out is a bad idea.” Wyatt laid Excalibur on the ground. He moved his hand towards the crystal, sensing the pulsating power. “We have to figure out a way to destroy it.”

“How?” Joey shook his head. “The crystal is stuck in Kasey’s chest. If we destroy it before removing it, we’d probably kill Kasey.”

“If he’s even alive still,” whispered Chris. 

Wyatt closed his eyes. He couldn’t think of any way that could seal the rift and save Kasey. Whatever Nomed did to Kasey, the crystal acted as a fatal link. The connection between Kasey, the rift, and the crystal spelled certain death. 

Wyatt recalled Nomed’s last words. Nomed assured Wyatt that they could stop the rift but only by sacrificing their last hope. Wyatt’s mind thought of themselves but he realized those words referred to something else.

“Fuck!” Wyatt turned to Chris and Joey. “The Club knows we have the Ancient Athame and how we plan to use it. That’s why they came up with this plan. We have to sacrifice the athame to seal the rift and stop the demonic invasion.”

Chris and Joey understood Wyatt’s conclusion. The Hellfire Club proved once again that they were always three steps ahead. 

Joey closed his eyes. “The athame is powerful enough to destroy the crystal. But it’ll definitely kill Kasey. And...if the Club wants us to use the athame then that probably means it’ll get destroyed in the process of sealing the rift.”

“There’s no other choice.” Chris grabbed onto Wyatt’s hand. “Ancient Athame!” Light-blue orbs gathered as he summoned the Ancient Athame from Magic School. Chris grabbed the Ancient Athame as it floated above them. He pointed the athame at the crystal, preparing to take the plunge when Wyatt and Joey stopped him, muttering that they should do it together. 

The brothers had tears running down their faces as they raised the Ancient Athame. They stabbed the crystal with the athame. The impact caused the crystal to shatter, while a single crack formed on the athame. With the crystal destroyed, Kasey released a gentle gasp, but his eyes remained closed. The crystal fragments slid across his chest as he slowly fell to the ground while a shockwave of crimson energy rippled everywhere. 

The shockwave ascended to the sky, creating a powerful vacuum. The wind blew harshly as it pulled every demon that emerged from the rift back into the rift. Hundreds of demons screamed in agony as the rift swallowed them until the last once vanished. A second shockwave erupted from Kasey’s body and ascended to seal the dimensional rift. 

The sky began to return to its normal color, ending the demonic invasion, while leaving behind dread for everyone who survived the ordeal. 

Joey took the Ancient Athame, while Wyatt and Chris rushed to heal Kasey. However, their healing light did no good. They couldn’t heal the dead. It prompted more tears to fall from their eyes as an innocent that they saved years ago died because of them.

*~*

Afterward, the brothers appeared before the Elders to speak on the Ancient Athame. They stood in the main hall with Sandra and a few other Elders gathered nearby. Wyatt handed the athame to Sandra who examined it carefully after the brothers used it to seal the dimensional rift. Sandra frowned as she ran her hand against the blade. 

Chris slid his hands into his pockets. He noticed Sandra’s frown, which made his heart sink. “Are we screwed now? Is the athame powerless?”

“Not quite.” Sandra returned the athame to Wyatt. “However, it is drained of much of its power. I would strongly discourage you from using it again until you confront the Hellfire Club.”

Wyatt shook his head. “Did we make the wrong call then? Did Kasey die for nothing?”

Sandra touched Wyatt’s arm as she made sure to make eye contact with each of the brothers. “We would’ve made the same call. That is why good and evil agreed to eliminate the Archai. Their powers over reality are far too dangerous as you saw with Gaxageal. Kasey could’ve likely summoned more Old Ones had you not stopped him.”

Joey crossed his arms. He stared at the temple’s pale floors not exactly feeling remotely better about Kasey’s death. “So there really was no saving Kasey.” He sighed. “Will the Ancient Athame even work against Seth now?"

“It might, but we should consider alternative means of vanquishing him. The Elders and I will see what we can uncover. There must be something that can help you.”

“Let’s hope so,” said Wyatt, “because I have a bad feeling Seth will release Neferica soon.”

*~*

Meanwhile, the Hellfire Club raised their glasses of blood and toasted in Nomed’s memory.

Seth grinned. “To our fallen general! May his name live on in infamy as his actions ushered in a new Age of Evil!”

“To Nomed!” cheered the Club. They sipped the blood.

From his mirror, Barbas rolled his eyes. He wished that he was still at the Wasteland, rotting for eternity instead of their prisoner. “It is not over yet. The seals on Neferica remain.”

Zurie turned slightly so that she could face Barbas and the mirror. “Only slightly. The presence of two Old Ones and an abundance of demons has disrupted the scales between good and evil. I say there are enough cracks that we can easily break what remains of the gods’ seals.”

Azazel nodded. “All we need to do now is wait on an opportune moment.” 

“Indeed.” Seth licked the blood from his lips. “But first, we should make a proper tribute. Something to break the Charmed Ones.” A demented thought crossed Seth’s mind which brought out a chuckle. “Yes, that will work perfectly.” He sipped his wine once more while everyone looked at him, curious now with what evil thoughts brewed in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come now. You should've known it wouldn't be that easy to stop the Hellfire Club. We got five more chapters left so how will our favorite brothers come out victorious?


	41. Pandemonium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, again! The chapter is a bit shorter than my usual updates, but the final chapters will make up for that. So enjoy! 
> 
> Also, this is the last of my twice a week updates. I'm going back to updating once a week so I'll be done with the fic either at the end of this month or the beginning of February. We'll see.
> 
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated.

The aftermath of the battle on Golden Gate Bridge ignited worldwide outrage. As the world knew of the magical community now but knew nothing about the Hellfire Club, humans actively blamed the magical community for the attacks. News broadcasts aired from every media outlet, got printed into every paper, and aired on conspiracy social media channels. And, of course, ministers and preachers all over the world threw their hats in the ring too.

“The magical menace is making America too dangerous for us real patriots! We have to start treating those with magic as radical ANTIFA-loving terrorists!” 

“All recordings of the Golden Gate Bridge terrorist attacks have been manipulated. You can still see the creatures that attacked the people on the bridge, however, all images of the groups fighting these creatures are blurred. And eyewitnesses cannot recall their faces. We have to assume it is some type of magical conspiracy or that the Agency of Supernatural Containment and other government agencies are purposely hiding the truth! Are these blurred out faces heroes or instigators of something worse?”

“The attacks on those godless heathens in California is a sign to all true Christians. The End Times are now! God is casting judgment upon us, and we are failing miserably! It is time for the faithful to take this world back from the heathens and prove ourselves worthy of God’s love! Hallelujah!” 

“Reports are coming in of attacks on attacks on magical beings. In Southern Florida, there is a video of a group of Neo-Nazis shown burning a Haitian woman at the stake who they accuse of witchcraft and being a Voodoo priestess.”

“The attack on San Francisco proves that the attack on Disneyland last year is only the beginning. And with these smaller magical attacks this past year, we can only assume that the worst is yet to come.”

*~*

Joey got tired of scrolling through the news networks as they all aired the same nonsense. Nobody defended the magical community, the Agency went completely silent, and only the craziest takes made it to the air. 

He lit another candle at his altar, this time in memory of the Haitian woman that died. He lit a candle for her even as he didn’t know if she was a witch or not. But she deserved to be honored.

“What a way to start the day.” Joey blew out the match before returning to his plate of pizza. 

Chris sat on the floor, while Wyatt sat on a chair. They came to Joey and Carver’s apartment to discuss their options. With the Ancient Athame low on power, they knew that they had only one chance to maybe defeat Seth before he could release Neferica. They wanted to uncover other methods for stopping Seth since he was their most dangerous threat. 

Wyatt huffed as he sipped his beer. “Says the slacker writer living in a tiny apartment.” Wyatt bit his pizza, while Chris chuckled. 

Joey glared at them. “Really? You’re the loser that moved back in with mom and dad to live rent-free and get free babysitting. And you!” He pointed at Chris. “You married a rich woman so you don’t get to talk shit about anyone.”

Chris gulped. “I didn’t say anything!”

“You laughed!”

“Enough fighting!” Carver closed the apartment door as he heard enough of the arguing. He came back from the gym and also brought their mail. “The last thing we need is for you three to lose the Power of Three because of your stupid bickering. Keep it together.” The brothers fell silent as they went back to eating. Meanwhile, Carver grabbed a lilac envelope and threw it at Joey. “It looks like Rahul’s save the date card made it.”

The envelope landed on the table, near the pizza box. Wyatt and Chris glanced at the envelope.

Chris grabbed another slice of pizza. “I didn’t know you still talked to Rahul.”

“We’ve kept in touch. Not quite as much since he’s getting busy with med school.”

“And he’s getting married too.” Wyatt reached for the letter but Joey snatched it before he got grease stains over it. “To who? Some guy he met at Princeton?”

“Actually, yes.” Joey would get to the letter later. “Carver and I met his fiance, Kai, last year. Nice guy. I think they said they’re getting married next September.” He watched as Carver grabbed a slice of pizza, muttering that he was going to shower. 

They ate in silence when light-blue orbs gathered. Brody appeared in the apartment when he noticed how crowded the place got. He had to take a step back, moving into the kitchen so that he didn’t trigger anyone’s claustrophobia. 

Wyatt rubbed some sauce from his face with a napkin. “Yo, Brody! How’s it going? Any good news from the Elders?”

Brody shook his head. “Not as much as I’d like. They’re getting distracted from investigating the Hellfire Club because of the attacks on the magical community.”

Chris pointed at the TV. “We’ve seen the reports. I’m guessing it’s even worse.”

“You’re right.” Brody pointed to the pizza since he wanted a slice. They gestured for him to take on with Joey offering a paper plate. “Whitelighters are evacuating the magical community to shelters like Erotia and Byzantia, while others are going into hiding on their own.”

Joey sighed. “This is going to get even messier. And, let me guess, the Angels of Destiny still won’t intervene.”

Brody nodded. “Unfortunately,” he spoke with a mouthful of food. He swallowed the pizza before making more of a mess. “The Angels claim that things are still tied to the Grand Design, but won’t offer helpful words. The Elders got so desperate that they even convinced the Avatars to help evacuate the magical community.”

“Damn!” Their eyes widened as they never expected the Elders to willingly beg the Avatars for help.

Wyatt scrunched his face. “Well, I guess that means we’re in big trouble if the Elders are working with the Avatars. And we’re completely on our own since the Angels won’t provide any support. Should we try summoning Neena?”

“We should leave her be as much as possible,” said Chris. “She’s sacrificed enough for this crappy world. We have to make things work.”

“I have a feeling that’s going to bite us in the ass,” Joey whispered before taking another bite of his pizza.

*~*

Into the evening, Seth did his best to make himself look handsome for such a special occasion as he changed into a ruby-colored suit. The Hellfire Club no longer needed to wait. Their moment finally came. They now had the power and opportunity to once again remake reality. Today, they would break Neferica free from the gods’ seals and spread more evil upon the world.

Everything would fall. Good would die. The innocent would burn in eternal agony. And no one had the power to stop them. Nomed’s attack on Golden Gate Bridge and sacrifice ensured that Seth’s relatives wasted their only weapon. The Ancient Athame didn’t frighten Seth any longer as it held no power over him after using up much of its power to seal the dimensional rift.

Seth licked his lips as he couldn’t wait to see the looks on his relatives’ faces once they saw Neferica in all of its glory. He sprayed a little cologne on his neck for the hell of it. “Perfect! It’s not every day that you get to end the world. One must look flawless.”

“And you do!” Lamia appeared behind Seth, dressed in a flowy white gown. She kept her hair a loose mess as she almost looked like a sacrifice to an old god. “Are you ready? Everyone else is waiting.”

“I think I am.” Seth ran his hand along Lamia’s chin. They chuckled. Seth would soon have everything that he desired, while Lamia and the others ignored their concerns over Seth for the greater prize. Seth glanced behind Lamia. He brought Barbas’s mirror into his bedroom so he got to see the annoyed look on Barbas’s face. “Oh, Barbie. Are you sad? Do you want me to let you free so you can enjoy the new world order?”

Lamia chuckled as she turned around too. While not as spiteful as Seth, she could admit that she did enjoy seeing a demon as great as Barbas being put down. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. Barbie isn’t a team player. He’s too selfish to appreciate what we’re doing.”

Barbas glared at them. “You haven’t won’t yet. Pride comes before the fall.”

For once, Seth didn’t attack Barbas for talking back. He actually appreciated what Barbas had to say as he could hear some truth. “Then, we have to make sure we win first.” He took Lamia’s hand. “Onto the main event.”

*~*

At their apartment, Chris finished responding to a potential client about not being available for a project. Given the intensity of the battles with the Hellfire Club, Chris didn’t want any new clients as he needed to have his undivided attention on the Club. The Club could cause another demonic invasion or release Neferica at any moment so Chris would make himself as available as possible. 

Chris walked to the bathroom that Bianca locked herself away inside for quite some time now. “Hey, honey. Did you hear back from Marco and the others? I hate begging you to get your family involved, but we need the help.”

“They’re on it,” Bianca said from the bathroom. “I’ve directed the family’s attention on moving the magical community to every refuge that Brody recommended. For all the good that’ll do. I heard from Nicole that they’ve already stumbled into a few massacres like what happened in Florida.” 

“Fuck.” Chris closed his eyes and muttered a quick prayer for the fallen. “Humans are losing their damn minds. And it’s not like the magical community would risk fanning the flames by fighting back. They’re sitting ducks.”

“Don’t worry about them. Focus on the Club. If you can’t stop them then there’s no point in trying to save the magical community.”

Chris sighed. “You’re right.” he shook his head. “Bianca, are you okay? You’ve been in there for a while now.”

“I’m fine!” Bianca’s voice took a different pitch for a second. It made Chris raise his eyebrows as it sounded like she was a mix of nervous and afraid. “Just ate something that didn’t agree with me. I’ll be out in a bit.” 

“Oh! Sorry. Want me to order you some soup?”

Inside the bathroom, Bianca sat on the floor with her back pressed against the door. “Sure. Thanks, babe.” Bianca took a deep breath as she stared at her latest pregnancy test. She took three different tests from three different kits to make certain and they all gave her the same results.

Pregnant.

*~*

“Don’t worry, Elise. I’ll have the article out before the deadline. Okay. Goodnight.” Phoebe hung up the phone as she unlocked her front door. She carved a bottle of wine after the long day that she had from trying to clean up the mess of the Golden Gate Bridge battle at the paper. Despite her best efforts, the paper and website printed some horrible news that would endanger the magical community further. 

The silence of the condo gave Phoebe enough peace to deal with her thoughts. Coop left for his Cupid assignments, while PJ and Paulina were most likely doing stuff for school or work. As for Kyra, she got hired at the Knox Academy as the incoming headmaster. For now, she assisted the deputy headmaster to learn how to run the school, but it also meant that she moved out of the condo. With everyone gone now, Phoebe planned to enjoy the peace and quiet for as long as she could.

Phoebe kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the couch. She gave a deep sigh before calling on Alexa to turn the lights on. As her home illuminated, she screamed as she saw Cole’s face in the reflection of her TV. She jumped from the couch and found Cole standing in her living room.

“Holy shit!” Phoebe levitated and nearly threw a kick but quickly realized how pointless it was to attack a ghost. Phoebe floated back to the ground. “Cole! What! How? How are you even here? I didn’t summon you.”

Cole wanted to smirk, but it made no sense. He stepped closer. “It looks like our son’s actions have tampered with the stability of every dimension, including the Cosmic Void. I don’t know how much time I have left before I get shoved back into the void, but I need to warn you.”

Phoebe’s posture shifted. She went from wanting to beat Cole, even as a dead man, to fearing whatever news he might bring. “He’s doing it. Isn’t he? Seth is releasing Neferica.”

Cole nodded. “There are millions of seals keeping Neferica in place, but they’re all almost gone now. Seth’s breaking whatever is left. But it gets worse. Neferica’s presence risks what happened at Golden Gate Bridge occurring again, but on a global scale.”

Phoebe squinted her eyes. “How do you know about the bridge? You get cable in the void.”

“Phoebe, focus. Our son is starting the Apocalypse. If Neferica appears in this world then it’ll trigger a breakdown in dimensions. You won’t have to only face the demons imprisoned in Neferica, but you’ll risk facing the banished Old Ones and the vanquished demons in the Wasteland. With all the power that Seth’s amassed, he’s capable of virtually anything.”

“We really are in the End Times.” Phoebe nodded. “Thanks for the warning, Cole...I’ll get everyone ready.”

Cole closed his eyes as his spirit began to fade from the Cosmic Void pulling him back. “Good luck.” 

*~*

Meanwhile, the Apocalypse would begin at any minute. 

On Roanoke Island, Seth brought his comrades to break the final seals on Neferica. Flames faded from their bodies as they made their arrival after breaking the other seals across the world. They gloated with their impending victory as they stared out onto the water. While the island itself was nothing remarkable, despite what popular culture deemed, the island bore no Nexus or any other symbol of magic, it did border Neferica’s seals. 

Seth and Lamia weren’t the only ones that decided to play dress up. They all appeared dressed for the occasion. Zurie wore a fuschia dress, Abigor in a suit of leather armor and chainmail, Azazel in navy-blue robes, and Zagon in an emerald suit. They smiled, excited with what the horrors they would soon unleash upon the world as they claimed the greatest victory in the name of evil.

“Ready?” Seth turned to his comrades.

Azazel licked his lips. “There’s no time like the present.”

They raised their hands into the air. They unleashed a storm of crimson lightning that tore the sky asunder. The sky warped as the Club defied reality. Thousands of golden chains manifested over Roanoke with the Club’s lightning beginning to sever each chain. 

Golden flakes rained over the island without any of its residents being aware of the impending danger. It wouldn’t take much longer now before the final seals broke and Neferica appeared in this world once more. 

Seth grinned while the crimson lightning reflected against his skin. “Let them hear the seven trumpets. For we are God!” 

More chains broke and gold flakes continued raining while a vicious wind began to howl over the island.

*~*

The family immediately gathered at Halliwell Manor after Phoebe’s brief talk with Cole. She explained that everything Cole told her, despite their mistrust, they knew to take Cole’s warning seriously enough. It meant that they needed to find Seth and the Hellfire Club right away before Neferica got released and the Apocalypse truly began.

They stood in the sunroom, preparing for battle. Chris and Joey sat on the couch with Leo, while Leo bounced Selena on his lap. Piper, Phoebe, and Paige stood around each other. Bianca sat by herself on a chair, a hand instinctively on her stomach. Carver watched as Hank attached the Snow Queen’s Brooch. PJ and Paulina played with their rings as Coop spoke on the Cupids’ evacuation efforts for the magical community. And Tamora dangled the Empyreal Sword as she rested her head on Henry’s shoulder. 

Piper scratched her head and gave a deep sigh. “A shame it’s not as easy as running out the clock like it was with the Four Horsemen.”

Phoebe wanted to laugh even as their battle years ago with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse nearly cost Prue her life. “Seth is too much like his fathers. He knows better than to use the same tricks twice.”

Paige nodded. “And just like his daddy, he decides to go big or go home.”

Meanwhile, Wyatt came downstairs from the attic with Excalibur in hand. He placed the sword on the table, while he had the Ancient Athame in his pocket. “It’s cute going down memory lane, but let’s focus on preventing the end of the world.” He turned to Chris and Joey who brought their weapons with them. “Are we ready?”

Chris shrugged. “As ready as ever.”

Joey grabbed his bow. “Okay. Let’s go save the world, again.” 

“Let’s move it!” PJ led the cousins, Carver, and Bianca when Wyatt stopped them. “What?”

Wyatt shook his head. “You, guys, should stay behind. The fight might not go how we plan.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Hank. 

Phoebe turned to Paige and Piper. They nodded.

“You’ll need to keep the fight going if we fail.” Chris spun Starbreaker as he joined Wyatt. He avoided making eye contact with Bianca as he didn’t want to risk losing what remained of his nerves.

Joey clung to Wyatt’s hand. “Alright...so, next stop, Roanoke. That’s where Brody said the Elders narrowed the Club’s location.”

“Wait!” Phoebe walked over to the brothers, while Piper and Paige joined her. “We should go with you. Seth is our problem...my problem too. We’re not Charmed anymore, but we should help end this mess.”

“Okay,” said Wyatt as he knew that he couldn’t stop them once they made up their minds. “Come on then.” Chris took Piper’s hand, while Phoebe held onto Paige’s hand. They began to orb, leaving everyone else behind to wait on the outcome of the fight while praying that they could stop the Hellfire Club and Neferica’s return.

*~*

By now, the majority of the golden chains broke. Only a few hundred chains remained intact that kept Neferica bound. The crimson lightning demolished what little remained with Seth and the Hellfire Club grinning as they witnessed the end slowly approach. 

Meanwhile, light-blue orbs gathered as the brothers arrived with Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. They landed on the shore of Roanoke as they soon noticed the frightening sky. Around them, they heard numerous sirens blaring as the people in the surrounding area fled. It didn’t take a genius to realize something wicked would appear.

Paige gulped. “Oh, Phoebe. If you just listened to me that Cole was still evil or took better birth control this wouldn’t be an issue.”

“I’m already kicking myself in the ass over Seth, Paige,” said Phoebe. “I don’t need you kicking me while I’m down.”

“Enough.” Piper turned to the boys. “Lead the way. We’ll follow.” They nodded.

They rushed over to Seth and the Hellfire Club severed the remaining chains. Joey fired an arrow as a warning shot, striking the ground near Seth. 

Seth lowered his hand with the others following his example. It temporarily halted the assault on the chains, leaving the remaining ones in place. Seth slowly turned back, still smiling as he saw his relatives. “Well! Welcome to the picnic, family. I hope you brought plenty of treats to celebrate the end of the world.”

Wyatt nodded as he held onto Excalibur. “We brought plenty of treats. But I don’t think you’ll like any of them.”

Seth chuckled. His gaze shifted as he noticed the Ancient Athame in Wyatt’s pocket. “Maybe. Who knows. My tastes might surprise you.” He glanced at the others. “I think we can squeeze in one more fight before Armageddon begins, don’t you?” The others chuckled too as they braced themselves for battle. 

They charged after each other, turning the shore into a chaotic scene. Sand, grass, and dirt flew everywhere from the explosions of magic, while screams echoed in the air.

Lamia targeted Paige, using her vampire speed to disorient Paige. Paige attempted to orb anything heavy like large rocks that she could use to strike Lamia but ended up missing. Lamia effortlessly landed a few blows onto Paige, knocking Paige to the ground. Lamia ran closer and attempted to bite Paige’s neck, but Paige had a counter-attack ready. Paige created an orb shield that formed as soon as Lamia got within range. The orb shield mixed with Lamia’s speed created a backlash that sent Lamia flying back. 

Phoebe levitated to avoid Zagon’s spear then kicked his face. Zagon stumbled but recovered quickly enough, while also separating his spear into two batons. When Phoebe tried to kick him again, Zagon struck her leg with a baton, which sent her falling to the ground. Zagon slammed his batons onto Phoebe, but she managed to roll away before she got hit. She took advantage of the brief window and kicked Zagon’s shin, knocking him down to his knee. 

Azazel fired black lightning blasts after Piper, but she alternated between blasting and freezing the lightning. Sparks scattered everywhere, igniting some blades of grass as they continued firing at each other. Piper rolled behind a boulder as Azazel fired several lightning blasts. The lightning cracked the boulder and left several scorch marks, but it held in place. Piper jumped from behind the boulder and waved her hands, melting the sand beneath Azazel. He sank a few inches then Piper hit him with a combustive blast that sent him towards the water.

Zurie wound her whip around Chris’s legs. She tugged on it with all her might to trip him, but he orbed himself free before landing. Chris reappeared and swung Starbreaker. The violet energy chain missed Zurie who laughed as she thought she had the chance to strike. However, Chris smirked as he used his telekinesis to swing the whip to tie Zurie up. He channeled his lightning through Starbreaker which brutally shocked Zurie. 

Joey swung Apollo’s Bow like a sword to block Abigor and Soulbane. Joey had to use both hands to keep Abigor from overpowering him as he got pinned against a tree. Abigor had a hungry look in his eyes as he looked to split Joey open, however, he wouldn’t get the chance today. Joey stepped on Abigor’s foot and took advantage of Abigor’s pain to channel a shockwave of energy through the bow to push Abigor further away. Joey quickly pulled on the bowstring and fired an arrow that landed against Soulbane, knocking the sword from Abigor’s hand. Joey then fired another energy blast that shoved Abigor to the nearest tree.

Wyatt clashed swords with Seth once more. The clanging of their swords echoed across the beach, while everyone else continued fighting around them. They paid no attention to the others, their eyes focussed onto one another as their pride as the Twice Blessed Children was equally on the line. Wyatt swung Excalibur to throw sand at Seth’s face, temporarily blinding Seth. However, Seth responded by throwing a fireball at Wyatt that knocked Wyatt into the air. Wyatt lost his grip on Excalibur as he orbed back to the ground then hit Seth with a combustive blast that knocked Seth to the ground. 

Seth rolled onto his feet, discarding his sword. He launched a stream of fire at Wyatt, while Wyatt guarded himself with his force field. Wyatt dug his feet into the sand and pulled the Ancient Athame out from his pocket while struggling to maintain the force field. Seth’s fire began melting Wyatt’s force field, something that Wyatt didn’t know could happen. 

Seth smirked as he could see glimpses of Wyatt’s panicked state. “Nothing can save you now, little cousin. A shame for Selena. She’s about to become an orphan.”

Wyatt glared while clutching onto the Ancient Athame’s handle. “Fuck you! Don’t you dare talk about my kid!” He stomped his foot to the ground and channeled his deflection power into his force field. The result triggered an explosion that shattered the force field, but also disrupted Seth’s fire stream. Seth stumbled while Wyatt seized the opportunity to fling the Ancient Athame at Seth’s chest.

The Ancient Athame nearly stabbed Seth when Seth recovered enough to grab the athame between his hands. 

Seth smirked as he tossed the athame to the ground. “You really think it’d be that easy? Come now, Wyatt. Here I expected more from you.” Seth threw a fireball that struck Wyatt’s shoulder. Wyatt collapsed to the ground, while Seth chuckled. “It really goes to show how pathetic you are. That's why you failed to stop me.” Seth conjured another fireball, preparing to deliver a fatal blow onto Wyatt.

However, before Seth could strike, something sharp pierced his path. He let out a sharp gasp as an intense burning rippled across his body. His eyes flashed white for a split second as blood started to trickle from his back. 

Behind Seth stood Phoebe. And Phoebe still had her hand wrapped around Ancient Athame as she plunged it deeper into Seth’s spine. More cracks formed along the Ancient Athame, mirroring the ones from it was used to destroy the dark crystal causing the dimensional rift.

Seth choked on his blood. He twisted his head, getting a slight glimpse of Phoebe from his peripheral vision. “Et Tu, mommy dearest?” He smiled. “You continue to choose your nephew over your son.”

Phoebe shook her head. “You had your chance, Seth. You choose this path, so...I’ll put a stop to you!”

Seth swallowed his blood. His eyes turned pitch black as the Ancient Athame disappeared from Phoebe’s grip and appeared in his hand. “And those are her famous last words.” Seth spun around and grabbed onto Phoebe, stabbing her stomach with the Ancient Athame. Phoebe gasped, while Wyatt’s screams caught everyone’s attention. Seth pulled the bloody Ancient Athame out and tossed it to the ground with a section of the athame’s blade shattering. “A little matricide sounds like the best way to ring in Armageddon. Doesn’t it, mother?” 

Seth allowed Phoebe’s body to fall. The blood pouring from her stomach stained the ground, while Seth walked away without a care in the world that he killed his mother.

Meanwhile, Wyatt rushed to Phoebe. He wept as he attempted to heal her, but the magic would do no good. The Ancient Athame didn't have the magic to kill someone as powerful as Seth, but it could kill Phoebe. 

As Phoebe’s body went cold, everyone else rushed to Wyatt’s side. 

They abandoned fighting the Hellfire Club as they witnessed Seth stab Phoebe. Piper and Paige collapsed to the ground. Piper pulled Phoebe’s body from Wyatt’s arms as she cradled Phoebe’s body while letting out a horrific scream. Paige couldn’t even move as she stared at Phoebe’s body, tears gushing from her face as she couldn’t believe what happened. Joey cried against Chris’s chest, while Chris had his eyes close as he couldn’t bear to look. Wyatt punched the ground, cursing himself for not doing more to save Phoebe.

As they grieved, Seth turned his attention to the sky. A dozen chains remained in place which he blasted with his crimson lightning. The last gold flakes rained upon them as a dark shadow slowly emerged from the rift. Seth smiled as he could see flickers of purple light and obsidian walls within the rift, signaling the coming of Neferica.

“It is time!” cheered Seth. “Let there be pandemonium! For Neferica has risen once more!” The Hellfire Club joined in cheering as they claimed their victory. Seth turned back to his relatives and his mother’s corpse. He laughed as he felt no love for any of them and couldn't wait to unleash more suffering upon them. “There is no hope for you now. You’ve lost!” 

Flames covered Seth and the Hellfire Club’s body as they ascended into the rift to claim possession of Neferica. 

As everyone continued to mourn the loss of Phoebe, Wyatt reached for the broken Ancient Athame. He carried its fragments in his hand and looked back at the rift to see glimpses of Neferica before the rift faded from sight, which allowed the sky to return to its natural color. No doubt, Seth and the Hellfire Club relocated Neferica somewhere else as they prepared to unleash the demons contained in the demonic city. 

Wyatt stared at the fragment Ancient Athame. Their last hope proved worthless in the end. And with it gone, Wyatt didn’t know how they could defeat Seth. 


	42. In a City So Dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! We're one-step closer to the grande finale! Quick notice. I'll likely end up posting on Friday or Saturday for the remaining chapters with the way that my work and writing schedule is looking now. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter! 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!

Free from its prison, Neferica hovered high above the atmosphere where no human could see. 

Neferica wouldn’t even appear on any satellite or drone as it only appeared as a mass of dark storm clouds, no one but its occupants able to see the purple lights that reflected across the obsidian walls. Neferica appeared as a floating castle with dozens of smaller towers and structures to contain its vast demon population. The roofs were made from bloodstone, which contrasted against the stained glass windows which had horrific-looking beasts carved onto them.

Within Neferica’s walls, the shadows stirred. The Gods reduced the ancient demons locked inside to ash so only their shadows remained. However, the shadows covered every inch of the castle, moving freely as they could sense their freedom. And soon, the demons would rise once more as they sensed the presence of great demons.

The Hellfire Club gathered in Neferica’s throne room. There they found a dozen giant chairs made from hardened magma that had specks of gold glistening. They gazed upon these chairs, marveling at their size. 

Lamia couldn’t even reach the throne’s seat without levitating. She hovered slightly to grant herself a better perspective. “Who could sit on these? Giants?”

Abigor chuckled. “Did you forget Gaxageal’s size? Many of the Old Ones are described as giants. Dominus and Asmodeus could have likely sat on these thrones if they had enough time to regain their power and take on their true forms.” He turned to the throne at the center of the room and huffed. “I imagine that the Source in its original body sat here too.”

Zagon nodded. “The Source is technically an Old One too.” He brushed his hand against a throne. He smiled as he wondered what demonic architect had the eye to create such a wonder. “Not that it matters. It all belongs to us now!”

Zurie rested against a throne. “Indeed. Now, we can focus on the greatest prize of all. Conquering this world and spreading evil.”

Azazel turned to Seth as he noticed Seth standing still. He squinted his eyes as he found it odd that Seth hadn’t spoken a word since breaking the final seals on Neferica. “We mustn’t waste any time. We should use our collective power to revive the ancient demons and unleash our army upon this pitiful world.” Azazel extended his hand out to Seth. “Isn’t that right, Seth?”

Seth ignored Azazel at first. Seth shifted his gaze onto the ground as he noticed a serpent-like demon carved onto the stone. It reminded him of the mighty Leviathan from myth. “It isn’t enough. Not yet.” Seth looked at his companions. “Killing my mother wasn’t enough. They all need to die!”

“Seth!” Azazel rolled his eyes. “Your relatives do not matter. We have Neferica. The demons are at our disposal. The Underworld obeys us! There is nothing that your family can do, even with the Power of Three. We are unstoppable.” Azazel stretched his hand out once more, while the others began to gather around him. “It is time you ignore them. And it is time that you shrug aside this petty feud so that we can claim our victory!”

“Petty feud.” Seth smirked as he closed his eyes and turned away. “This all started from a petty feud. Now, I’m merely ending things.” Seth approached the center throne. He levitated and took the seat for himself, crossing his legs as his eyes turning pitch black with flames washing over the pupils. “Our victory isn’t assured until the last good Halliwell is dead.

Azazel growled, but Abigor and Zagon held him back. Lamia shook her head as she knew Seth would lose it. As for Zurie, she peered into the future for answers but found nothing of value.

Seth snapped his fingers. Barbas’s mirror appeared in the throne room with an angry Barbas glaring back at Seth. Not that Seth cared. He leaned into the chair and smiled. “I will be the end of them.” 

*~*

That night proved the longest yet from the failure of stopping Neferica’s return and Phoebe’s death.

At Halliwell manor, Chris came downstairs with the house phone pressed to his ear. Even as he listened to Elise, he could still hear Piper’s faint crying from her bedroom. Wyatt mentioned that she spent most of the night crying with Chris hearing the same thing happened with Paige when he called Hank. Joey tried calling Coop, PJ, and Paulina but got no response back.

After returning from Roanoke, they made the call to announce Phoebe’s death to Elise. They would allow the newspaper to break the story given that Phoebe would never return to work and how much she cared for paper.

Chris crossed his arms as he looked into the sunroom to see Joey and Carver playing with Selena. He could also hear Wyatt with Gordon in the kitchen. “Thank you, Elise.” Chris rubbed his bloodshot eyes, red from all the crying. “I’ll pass your condolences to my parents. My mom’s too heartbroken to answer and my dad’s trying to keep her together.” He nodded as he listened to Elise. “Yeah. Henry will probably answer the phone. I’ll also pass everything along to Uncle Coop and the girls. I’m not sure they’d answer. Okay. Thank you. Bye.”

Chris hung up the phone and took a deep breath. He sighed as he leaned against the stair rail when he felt a hand touch his back. He jerked back when he saw Bianca standing there. “Oh! Hey.”

Bianca chuckled. “Hey...how are you?”

“I’m feeling like shit.” Chris led Bianca downstairs. He put the phone into the receiver as they walked into the sunroom. “We lost Aunt Phoebe, the Ancient Athame is broken, and Seth basically has a nuke at his disposal.”

Bianca frowned as she grabbed onto Chris’s arm. “You’ll figure out a way to stop Seth. And you’ll win. You always do.”

Chris shook his head. “I’m not having much faith.”

They entered the sunroom to see Carver holding his head. Joey lifted Selena into his arms as he moved away from the couch. 

Joey looked at Carver closely, noticing more hair growing on Carver’s arms. “What’s going on with your wolf?”

Carver bit his lip. He tilted his head back and took a deep breath. “I can feel the shift in demonic energy. It’s messing with my self-control.” He looked at his arm as he could feel the extra hair retracting. “We need to do something about Neferica soon. If this is happening to me then other werewolves are probably losing their minds, especially if they lack my level of self-control.”

Chris nodded. “Which will put more people at risk.”

“Hey!” Gordon’s voice boomed from the dining room. “Breakfast is served!” They followed Gordon’s voice into the dining room to find quite the spread. Wyatt called Gordon last night, and Gordon promised to bring food over for them. Gordon went so far as to order breakfast for Paige and Coop’s houses too. Gordon figured that everyone would be dealing with too much grief to cook, but would need some comforting food. 

Gordon placed a set of plates on the table next to the mountain of scrambled eggs, sausages, pancakes, and fruit. “I think I went a little overkill. Did I go overkill?”

Joey smirked as his hunger overpowered his grief. “I say you didn’t kill hard enough.”

The kitchen door swung open as Wyatt came with a pitcher of orange juice and slid his phone into his pocket. “Kyra got Grandpa Victor and they’re with Coop and the girls now. The food also made it there, which they really appreciate.” Wyatt kissed Gordon’s cheek. “You’re an MVP, babe.”

“Happy to help.” Gordon gestured for everyone to sit and eat. “I don’t have any powers so the least I can do is make sure everyone is well-fed.”

As they started breakfast, footsteps echoed from the staircase. Leo held Piper’s hand as they joined them. Piper looked like a mess as she still wore her clothes from yesterday with eyes red and puffy. 

Piper tried to smile as she looked at the table. “What a feast. Who did this?” Everyone pointed at Gordon, even Selena copied them, with Wyatt mentioning that Gordon bought the food. Piper patted Gordon’s shoulder and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“Anytime, Piper.”

Leo helped Piper to a chair then began to serve her a plate. He had puffy eyes too but managed to hold it together somewhat better than Piper. He had to suppress all his heartache for now even as the grief of losing Phoebe brought back the scars of losing Prue. “This all looks so good. Thanks, Gordon,” Leo said while trying to distract himself from the pain. “This is a lot of food. Is everyone else joining us?”

“I ordered food for them too,” said Gordon. “It hurt my credit card, but it went to a good cause.”

Piper gave Gordon a proper smile as his kind gesture warmed her broken heart. She turned to Wyatt while pointing at Gordon. “Marry him. He cares about your family.”

Wyatt and Gordon blushed as everyone else went to eat their breakfast.

*~*

At the Bladesmiths’ forge, Tamora handed the broken Ancient Athame over to Glynnis. Tamora got over her tears for Phoebe as she needed to do something more. So she hoped that by bringing the Ancient Athame to Glynnis that maybe they could figure out a way to repair it so that they could vanquish Seth.

Glynnis brought the Ancient Athame to her workstation. They left the hotter parts of the forge so that Glynnis could get a better look. 

Tamora admired the setup. She visited Glynnis at the forge several times since they began dating, however, she hadn’t approached Glynnis’s personal workstation. It appeared far cleaner than other parts of the forge as Glynnis had it set up as a drafting station for designing her projects. 

Pulling the fragments together, Glynnis examined the Ancient Athame closely. She grabbed some other tools as she attempted to test fusing the fragments together. She had beads of sweat pouring down her head as she did what she could. However, she ended up giving a deep sigh and pushed the broken fragments aside. “It’s too far gone.”

Tamora crossed her arms. “What does that mean?” 

“Not even I can fix it.” Glynnis held a fragment. “From what you told me and what I can see, it took old magic to forge the athame. This magic is older and more powerful than what my ancestors used to create the Empyreal Sword. At best, I can glue the athame back together, but it will lack the power necessary to do anything. That magic is gone now.” She grabbed the other fragment and handed the Ancient Athame to Tamora. “And I doubt even your cousins using the Power of Three would be enough to replace what it once held.”

“Fuck.” Tamora held onto the broken Ancient Athame. “So, we really have no chance against Seth. Our only weapon against him is gone. And he has the demon army of Neferica at his disposal. He’s really won.”

Glynnis frowned but shook her head. “It’s not over till it’s over.” She gently squeezed Tamora’s forearm and kissed her cheek. “I’ve heard the stories of what your family’s accomplished. You’ll figure out how to win. Hopefully soon.”

Tamora tried to smile as she appreciated Glynnis’s confidence in them. However, Tamora feared that the confidence would go to waste. She stared at the broken Ancient Athame and wondered what they could possibly do to triumph against Seth.

*~*

Meanwhile, back at Neferica, Barbas continued to chuckle from the mirror as he watched the chaos unfold. Azazel led the Club’s protest against Seth’s narrow focus on his family instead of their greater agenda. They argued that they needed to eliminate good magic and begin their assault upon the world rather than trying to focus exclusively on the Halliwells. 

Azazel clenched his fists as he approached the throne that Seth claimed. His eyes boiling over from the annoyance of this continued fighting. “Your family isn’t that great of a threat to us. You are allowing your ego to cloud your better judgment! What we need to do is make our move on everyone else.”

Zurie nodded. “If anything, we should make our move on the Heavens first. Without the Elders’ guidance, the Charmed Ones lose a crucial advantage. They lose their connection to the higher powers.”

“No!” Seth roared. “My family must die first!”

Zagon rolled his eyes. “You already killed your mother! Isn’t that enough for you?”

“Focus, Seth!” said Lamia. “We must present a united front against our enemies.”

“And our enemies are many,” said Abigor. “Your family needs to die eventually, but we should eliminate all their allies first. Otherwise, your cousins will rally their allies against us.”

Seth slammed his fist on the throne’s armrests. “No! They have to go first! I will send the demons of Neferica to destroy them.” Seth’s eyes darkened. “But first. I need more power. A greater power. The ultimate power!” He closed his eyes and chuckled. He could see it now. The path to true victory. “I need the Hollow!”

From the mirror, Barbas smirked. He shook his head as he could see how these events would end. “Oh, foolish child. You are setting up your defeat.” Barbas laughed. Those words went ignored as Seth paid Barbas no attention.

Azazel’s eyes widened from the mention of the Hollow. “You, idiot boy! The Hollow? The Hollow!” Azazel pointed a finger at Seth with electricity crackling along his fingertip. “Do you know what happens to those that think that they can control the Hollow? It’s proved more trouble than anything! It is an insatiable void.”

Zurie’s eyes flashed. She attempted to peek into the future as Seth clearly made up his mind on using the Hollow against his family. However, as she opened her mind to the future, she saw nothing. “You lead us down a path of death, Seth. Turn back now! The Hollow is not worth it.”

Abigor drew Soulbane from its sheath. “Or we will stop you!”

Lamia sighed. “I knew it would come down to us killing him sooner or later.”

Zagon nodded. “A pity. However, he threatens our rule so we must remove him.”

Laughter echoed across the throne room. Seth kept his eyes closed. He found their threats more amusing than anything. “Did you really think that I didn’t anticipate your betrayals? Your defiance against me? Heir of the Source!” Seth stood on the throne. Despite being of average height and size for a man, he appeared positively tiny on the throne. “I prepared for every variable. Including this one!”

The Hellfire Club attempted to attack Seth when he clenched his fist. A reversed pentagram manifested on Seth’s fist, which glowed bright red. A similar pentagram appeared on the foreheads of the Club that left them immobilized. They screamed from the psychic backlash of whatever spell that Seth cast. 

Their eyes turned pitch black as the pentagrams began to glow brighter. 

Seth continued chuckling. “I split the Source’s power not because I viewed you as equals. I knew that if you carried the power that I could easily enslave you because as the Source’s heir, I have a greater connection to the power of evil primeval than you could ever conceive.” Seth floated from the throne. He walked over to his immobilized, former comrades. “Now, you will do exactly what I command! Do you understand me?”

They spoke in unison, “Yes, my liege.”

Seth grinned and playfully smacked Azazel’s face. “Wonderful. Now, we shouldn’t waste another second. We must summon the Hollow so that I can eliminate my family before they get in my way again!” Seth gathered them in a circle. They joined hands, using the Source’s powers to create a chain of magic as they prepared to summon the Hollow from its confinement. 

As for Barbas, he shook his head. He turned away, vanishing into the mirror’s void. He wanted no part of the disaster that Seth would unleash in his foolhardy quest for ultimate power. 

*~*

Back at the manor, it got a little more crowded as Hank arrived with Tamora. Tamora started to fill them in that Glynnis’s repairs on the Ancient Athame would do them no good. Everyone hoped that Glynnis could save the day, but they now needed to figure out another solution for vanquishing Seth. 

Piper retreated to her bedroom to continue grieving with Leo doing his best to provide some comfort. Wyatt and Joey had Hank and Tamora follow them to the attic so that they could research with the Book of Shadows, which left Gordon and Carver to go into babysitting mode with Selena.

Chris would’ve joined too but Bianca ended up pulling him aside. Bianca decided to borrow Wyatt’s bedroom so that they could have some privacy as she closed the door behind her.

Chris squinted his eyes. His heart sank when he noticed Bianca wiggling her wedding ring. “What’s going on, babe? Are you okay?”

“Uh...yeah. Uh.” Bianca sighed. She stopped fiddling with her wedding ring as she knew that she just needed to blurt things out and not drag things out. “The other day. When you asked why I was in the bathroom for so long.” She stopped mid-thought, while Chris crossed his arms. He walked closer as he tried to figure out what could possibly bother her so much. “I...I. I started taking some at-home tests.”

“Tests? Tests?” Chris’s eyes widened. The dots started to connect themselves. “Bianca, are you...are you pregnant?”

“I’m pregnant.” Bianca covered her mouth as she had some tears pouring out. “I’m pregnant.”

Chris grinned. He threw his arms around Bianca’s waist and kissed her cheek. “You're pregnant!” He pressed his forehead against hers as he kept smiling. “That’s great news! Even in the middle of the Apocalypse.”

Bianca chuckled. She pulled back tears as she gently tugged on Chris’s shirt. “Are you sure? This is great news?”

“Of course!” Chris chuckled too. “Honestly, as long as we’ve been together, it's a little surprising that we’re only now pregnant. You’d figure we’d have at least a couple of false alarms or at least one kid by now.” 

Bianca nodded. She rested her head against his chest and smiled. The anxiety she felt over telling Chris vanished. She should’ve known better than to fret since Chris had some of the best paternal instincts she’s seen in a man. “So, we’re pregnant. We’re going to be parents.” 

“We’re going to be parents!” Chris kissed Bianca again. “Should we tell everyone? Or should we wait?”

“I think we should tell them. Everyone needs some good news.”

Chris agreed. He held onto Bianca’s hand as they left Wyatt’s bedroom. However, as soon as Chris opened the door, they immediately got bombarded with screams.

Wyatt, Joey, Tamora, and Hank stood in the hallway. “You’re pregnant!” 

Downstairs, they could hear Gordon and Carver asking about the screaming. Footsteps came upstairs as Gordon and Carver came running after them with Gordon carrying Selena. Meanwhile, the master bedroom door flew open with Piper and Leo stepping out to find out if they heard them correctly. 

As everyone crowded the hallway, Bianca and Chris rolled their eyes. They couldn’t escape the nosiness of this family. “We’re pregnant,” they said.

More screams greeted them as everyone cheered from some desperately needed good news. Even Piper felt some joy in her heart as for a moment she could forget over the grief from losing Phoebe to hug Bianca and Chris, opening her heart to a future grandchild. 

*~*

With the pregnancy news in the air, it provided a moment of relief from the apocalyptic gloom. They crowded the sunroom as many began to bombard Bianca with questions when a loud knock at the front door prompted Joey to answer it.

Wyatt scooted closer to Chris on the sofa. “You know. It's a good thing that Veronica and I agreed on having everything gender-neutral for Selena, and I kept pretty much everything, so you can have it for your kid.” Wyatt winked at Chris. “ _Daddy_.”

Chris chuckled. He laughed partly from Wyatt’s stupidity but also at the realization that he’d have to get used to a child running around and screaming “daddy” at him. “You’re a real lifesaver, bro.”

Twin flashes of pink light illuminated the sunroom. PJ and Paulina appeared, they wore their Rings of Eos and dressed in a particularly sporty fashion. They had bloodshot eyes like Piper as they likely spent around twenty-four hours crying too.

PJ crossed her arms. “What’s the plan? When do we stab Seth in the dick?”

Gordon quickly covered Selena’s ears before she heard anything. Wyatt coughed as he pointed at Selena, prompting PJ to apologize.

Paulina shook her head. She glanced at Hank, noticing that he had on the Snow Queen’s brooch. “For real. What’s our plan? Seth has access to Neferica. We gotta do something.” She shrugged. “We’re ready to beat his...butt.”

“Well, I have a location.” Walking in from the front door, Joey escorted Henrick to the sunroom. Henrick’s clothes looked fairly sloppy and wrinkly as he likely hadn’t had much time to change or properly care for himself. The magical chaos affected the Agency more than they expected too. “Hello, everyone. Good to see you,” Henrick said, acting polite. He turned to Piper. "I'm sorry for your loss. Joey mentioned what happened to Phoebe." Piper frowned as Henrick turned to everyone else with his news. “I take it that whatever the Hellfire Club is up to is why every satellite is picking up some disturbance over the Pacific Ocean.”

Leo squinted his eyes. “What kind of disturbance?”

“Unidentifiable.” Henrick pointed at Joey. “But Joey gave me a call last night to tell me about what happened at Roanoke. We’ve been looking for your demon city but found no traces of it until about an hour ago when our radars found an anomaly that is mystical in nature. Our satellites and drones aren’t able to properly map it so we’re assuming it's your demon city.”

“Great,” whispered Carver. “Does that mean Seth is moving Neferica to San Francisco? A Golden Gate Bridge attack 2.0?”

“Actually, it appears to be moving to the center of the ocean.” Henrick scratched his head. “Not that it makes sense why. If Seth has an army of demons, why not just release them over a major city as a test of strength?”

Joey sighed. “Because he isn't looking to test his strength. He’s baiting us to go after him. Especially after killing Phoebe.” PJ and Paulina clenched their fists, eagerly waiting for the chance to punch Seth’s face.

Henrick nodded. “That makes more sense. Well, I guess that means I can go back to trying to secure the magical community and keep tensions as low as possible while leaving the rest to you.”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “I knew this would happen as soon as I announced I’m pregnant.”

“You’re pregnant?” gasped PJ and Paulina. 

Tamora waved at them. “Worry about it later. We got your evil brother to kill.” She flicked her wrist. The Empyreal Sword appeared in her hand in a flash of green light. She looked to the brothers. “You’re not leaving us behind this time. Not when you’re facing Seth, the Club, and a city of demons.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Chris. “We need all the help we can get for this fight.”

Wyatt started to get up from the sofa. He went over to Gordon and Selena. “I guess that means I’ll see you later. Soon.”

Gordon nodded while handing Selena over to Wyatt for a proper goodbye. Gordon kissed Wyatt briefly. “I’ll be here. Waiting for you. And keeping a watch over your parents.”

Wyatt smiled at Gordon. “I can always count on you.” He turned to Selena, kissing her cheek. He held back tears as he looked at her as she got fussy in his arms. “Daddy will be home soon. Okay, baby girl?”

“Ya.” Selena mumbled as she tugged on Wyatt’s shirt. Wyatt sighed as he gave her back to Gordon.

As they geared up for battle, Brody orbed into the sunroom too. His eyes wide from the news that the Elders gave him. His jaw dropped as he noticed them getting ready to fight too. “You can’t leave yet!” Brody’s voice cracked from his fear. “You need to rethink whatever it is you’re planning. Seth is summoning the Hollow.”

“No!” Piper jumped to her feet. “Not the Hollow too!”

Henrick, Gordon, and Carver appeared confused as they asked what was the Hollow.

Joey summoned Apollo’s Bow to his hand. “The end of magic. So, what do we do now?” He looked at everyone, waiting on someone to speak up on a new plan as things went from bad to horrible.

*~*

Light-blue orbs, pink flashes of light, and shimmering appeared on an uneven ruby-bricked road. The dark spires of Neferica loomed as the brothers brought their cousins, Bianca, and Carver with them for battle. They stood outside the steel doors that locked the entrance to the castle, leaving them in a vulnerable position.

Behind them was more road than nothing. Neferica floated in the sky with the Pacific Ocean thousands of miles beneath them. Should they fall then they would face certain death.

They could sense an immense amount of magic from within Neferica while also noticing flickering lights above. They couldn’t quite identify the lights but knew it likely reflected Seth and the Hellfire Club summoning the Hollow.

Wyatt watched the towers and walls of Neferica for any signs of demons. He tightened his grip on Excalibur as he approached the doors. “We need to break the doors open so that we can claim some ground. I can think of a spell to let us in.” He turned to Chris and Joey. “Ready?” They nodded as they placed their hands on Wyatt’s shoulder. “ _The Power of Three will unlock the gate. The Power of Three will unlock the gate. The Power of Three will unlock the gate!_ ”

Silver light flashed across the steel doors as they slowly began to push themselves open, granting everyone entrance.

Joey rolled his eyes. “Really? That was the best Power of Three spell you could think of?”

“It worked,” said Chris. “We can bitch tomorrow.”

Hank chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I guess border walls really are pointless.”

Tamora grabbed Hank’s arm and dragged him inside. “Get political later. We have an Apocalypse to win.”

Everyone walked inside. The gates remained opened as they ventured into a massive courtyard. They could see the obsidian walls of the castle and twisted, spiked vines that grew over the walls. While not as terrifying as they expected an ancient demonic city to appear, they knew not to lower their guard. They remained vigilant as they braced themselves for whatever might emerge from the castle. 

The lights over Neferica darkened. They sensed an immense amount of magic emanating from one of the spires, which narrowed the possibility of where to find Seth and the Hellfire Club. They prepared to break the castle’s doors and get inside when they heard roaring everywhere.

Shadows arose from the ground and gathered in the air. Shadows slithered over the vines and crawled from the walls. The roaring grew louder. Wyatt, PJ, and Paulina projected force fields while Carver shifted into his werewolf form as a precaution since they didn’t know what to expect. The shadows vanished, revealing dozens of demons across the courtyard. The demons appeared in all shapes and sizes. Some resembled the vampires of classic horror movies, some resembled dragons, others appeared like gorgons, and more like lizard monsters. The demons came closer and growled in outrage at the intruders’ presence. 

Bianca gulped. “Great! Here are the old demons.”

Paulina nodded. “And I bet more are coming.”

A gorgon-like demon slithered across the courtyard and swung its claws at Wyatt’s force field. The claws briefly disrupted the barrier before the barrier repaired itself. 

PJ dropped her barrier then pointed her Ring of Eos at the demon. She conjured a pink sword that stabbed the demon through the skull. “That means we need to get to vanquishing these demons before kicking Seth’s fucking ass!”

Werewolf-Carver howled. “Kill. Demons!”

Joey smiled as he pulled on the bowstring. “You heard PJ and Carver! Let’s kick some ass!”

Wyatt and Paulina nodded. They turned their barriers into weapons. They released the energy as a shockwave to repel the nearby demons so everyone had the space to spring into action.

No one held back as they knew that the demons would show no mercy. 

Green energy wings emerged from Tamora’s back as she ascended to the air. She slashed the Empyreal Sword at the demons that came after her, dismembering many. She didn’t fight alone as PJ and Paulina also took to the sky.

They had pink energy wrapped around them to grant them flight as they used their Rings of Eos. Paulina created hardened blasts of pink light that ripped through the demons like gunfire. One bat-like demon resembled swiss cheese after Paulina fired half a dozen blasts into its body. Meanwhile, PJ created a gigantic, pink battle-ax that she swung at the demons. She could effortlessly slash many demons in half as her rage over Phoebe’s death fueled her willpower.

On the ground, the others held their ground against the incoming demons. 

The Snow Queen’s brooch glistened as Hank conjured a pair of ice batons. He swung the batons to crack the skulls of every demon that dared to cross him. The loud “thunks” signified the breaking of bones soon followed by demons falling to the ground before they melted into ash. Even as he went after the demons, Hank didn’t stray too far from Bianca and Werewolf-Carver since they needed to keep each other covered.

Werewolf-Carver tackled a massive, hairy demon that resembled a more beastly version of a werewolf. They went after each other. They bit and dig their claws into each other’s flesh, but Werewolf-Carver came out victorious after bitting off the demon’s throat. As for Bianca, she kicked a reptilian-faced demon’s chest before tossing an athame at a goat-faced demon’s eye. Even as she knew she was pregnant, she couldn’t hesitate in this fight or count on using the growing fetus’s magic to amplify her powers. She blasted an energy ball at the reptilian-faced demon before rolling onto the ground, moving onto her next target. 

Meanwhile, the brothers did their best to eliminate the most demons that they could. Despite needing to conserve their magic to face Seth and the Hellfire Club, the brothers wanted to give everyone else the best advantage that they could. 

Chris cracked Starbreaker into the spine of a griffin-like demon. He swung the whip again to blind a one-eyed demon before blasting that same demon with lightning. Screaming echoed behind him, Chris looked back to spot Joey avoiding a giant horned demon’s rampage. Chris yelled at Joey that he’d give him a lift so Chris swung his hand to lift Joey into the air.

Joey took advantage of the added height to dodge the horned demon’s attack before aiming Apollo’s Bow on the demon. Joey fired a golden arrow into the demon’s throat before landing back on the ground. Joey spun around and fired another arrow at another gorgon-like demon that tried to slither after Wyatt. Wyatt appreciated the protection as he turned Excalibur and sliced off the gorgon demon’s head. Wyatt took a deep breath. He hadn’t tried to use that magical whirlwind attack with Excalibur since Gaxageal but he wanted to take the chance. He swung Excalibur at a small horde of demons and grinned when the sparks erupted from Excalibur with the magical whirlwind appearing to dice the demons into pieces.

Many demons fell, but more started to emerge from the shadows too. 

Chris choked a demon with Starbreaker before snapping its neck. “It’ll never end! Not until we stop Seth!”

A bat-like demon fell from the sky. PJ stood over the demon with its blood sliding across her pink aura. “Then, get his ass!” She turned to Chris. “I want him dead, but I can’t join you. So, we’ll focus on the demons out here. You got inside the castle and vanquish him!”

“Are you sure?” asked Chris.

“Just fucking do it!” PJ gathered an immense amount of pink light around her ring to create a giant fist. She turned to strike another one-eyed demon with a mighty punch that launched the demon into a crowd of demons with the intensity of a cannonball. “We have things covered here! Right?” 

“Right!” shouted everyone else.

Chris looked at Wyatt and Joey who nodded in agreement. They wished their family luck before they rushed to the castle doors. Wyatt used a combustive blast to blow the doors from its hinges. They ran inside, ready to put an end to this Apocalypse.

*~*

Ascending a marble staircase, the interior of Neferica’s castle appeared far more frightening than the exterior. The bones of creatures covered the walls while the scorched markings of gigantic demons acted as the artwork. Purple torches illuminated the halls, projecting an ominous glow that left the brothers unsure of how to proceed. 

The brothers knew only to follow where they sensed the greatest accumulation of magic. 

Eventually, the brothers made it out onto a terrace high up on the castle. The ground floor far beneath them but now, out in the open, they could spot everyone else fighting the demons. The fight continued to favor them, however, they didn’t know for how long that would last. So, the brothers resumed their march to the highest point of Neferica. 

However, a bolt of lightning ascended from the ground. The lightning shifted as Abigor, Zagon, and Lamia appeared. They continued to have the burning reversed pentagram on their foreheads as their minds and bodies remained slaves to Seth’s will.

Wyatt pointed Excalibur at them. “Get out of our way before we vanquish you!”

“You’ll vanquish no one, pretender.” Abigor, Zagon, and Lamia spoke in frightening unison. Their voices distorted as the brothers noticed the trio’s pitch-black pupils. The echo of their voices left an ominous chill. “It is time for the Halliwell bloodline to end. Death to the Charmed Ones!”

Joey gulped. He tugged on Apollo’s Bow’s bowstring. “Uh...why are you speaking like the Terminator? And what’s up with those pentagrams?”

Chris tightened his grip on Starbreaker with the energy whip igniting. “Looks like they’re puppets now. Mom did mention that this is what happens to those infected with the Hollow. We should avoid using our active powers against them. Weapons only.” 

Wyatt and Joey nodded in agreement.

They rushed after each other, everyone splitting up into pairs. Abigor removed Soulbane from its sheath and crossed blades with Wyatt. Zagon conjured a pair of batons that he swung as Joey fired arrows at him. Lamia moved at rapid speed to slice at Chris with her claws, but Chris gracefully swung his whip to block the attacks. 

Down below, the brothers could hear the war cries of their family and the roars of the demons. The brothers couldn’t waste their precious time in allowing the fight to drag out. They needed to move quickly as Seth remained their greatest priority. 

Joey kept firing arrows, praying that one would pierce Zagon so that he could go for the kill. However, Zagon moved quicker than the arrows. Zagon effortlessly swatted the arrows aside and stepped closer towards Joey. Once Zagon got within arm’s length, Zagon took advantage to strike. He swung a baton at Joey’s head, forcing Joey to position the bow to guard himself. But it left Joey’s torso exposed. Zagon swung the other baton at Joey’s rib cage, causing Joey to collapse to his knees. Zagon struck again, smacking Joey across the face with a fist.

Joey banged his head on the marble floor. He spat blood while his vision blurred. Zagon struck again as he swung both batons at Joey’s head. Joey barely saw the attack coming and narrowly managed to roll away. 

Zagon struck the ground instead, cracking the marble flooring. He tilted his head, his dark eyes locked onto Joey. “You won’t escape me again, witch!”

Joey raised Apollo’s Bow. He tugged on the bowstring, aiming an arrow for Zagon’s chest. “That’s what you think!” The golden arrow began to radiate with a scarlet glow. Joey’s fingertips glistened as he infused the arrow with his energy manipulation abilities for added momentum. “I can sacrifice one power for the greater good.”

The arrow sailed forward. Given the short distance, Zagon didn’t have the second necessary to block the attack. The arrow struck Zagon’s heart, piercing through his defenses. Zagon’s dark eyes briefly returned to their natural color with the pentagram fading too before he exploded into a cloud of smoke with a mass of swirling particles flowing from where his body previously stood.

The backlash of the explosion knocked Joey down once more, leaving him too exhausted to get back up yet.

Meanwhile, Wyatt and Chris had their struggles to face too. 

Swords collided with Wyatt and Abigor’s muscles aching for every blow that they traded. They moved in a graceful line, ignoring the other battles around them as they focused narrowly on their duel. Soulbane and Excalibur unleashed dozens of sparks for their every impact. Wyatt knew that he could easily overpower Abigor with his active powers, but he didn’t want to risk feeding the Hollow unless absolutely necessary. 

However, Wyatt also eyed Excalibur. He blocked another of Abigor’s attacks, sensing the power within Excalibur weakening with every blow. It shouldn’t surprise him given that the Hollow absorbed magic. It made sense that the Hollow could sap Excalibur’s power too, which meant that Wyatt needed to quickly vanquish Abigor.

Abigor swung Soulbane once more. He applied enough force to knock Wyatt down to take a knee. Towering over Wyatt, Abigor grinned. “You will fall! Nothing and no one can save you!”

Wyatt growled as he tried pushing back, but Excalibur grew weaker and he grew more tired too. He needed to think of a better solution. 

Meanwhile, Chris moved Starbreaker in circles. He created a protective orbit with the whip that left Lamia unable to get too close to him. She hissed in frustration because of his opposition. When she did move forward, the whip lashed against her skin. The whip dug deep enough to draw blood as it left a scar on her arm.

Lamia hissed more. “You! You won’t get another cheap shot!” She grabbed onto the whip, allowing it to burn her hands. She lunged after Chris while she bore her fangs. She got close enough to sink her fangs into his forearm.

The pain left every part of Chris’s body burning. He narrowly dropped Starbreaker but managed to keep himself from completely falling apart. He grabbed Starbreaker with his free hand then punched Lamia’s head. The impact startled Lamia, forcing her to remove her fangs from his arm.

“Fucking bitch!” screamed Chris. “Only my wife gets to bite me! And you’re not her!” Chris ignored the bleeding from his arm to focus on Lamia while she remained stunned. He cracked Starbreaker, reigniting the whip. He swung the whip around Lamia’s neck and pulled her closer to him.

Having her body jerked against her will, prompted Lamia to fall to her hands and knees. Chris maintained the whip around her neck. He tugged with all his strength on the whip, forcing the whip to dig deeper into Lamia’s neck until the energy finally burned through and severed Lamia’s head from her neck. 

As Lamia’s severed head bounced across the ground, her body erupted in flames. The remains fell to ash while a swirl of particles came out from the ashes and floated away. Those particles joined the ones that came out of Zagon’s remains, floating far above them. 

Chris disregarded the sight as his gaze turned to Wyatt and Joey. He could see Joey slowly recovering, while Abigor overpowered Wyatt. Wyatt lost his grip on Excalibur and crashed against the railing as Abigor nudged Wyatt towards the terrace’s edge. 

Abigor raised Soulbane, preparing to strike Wyatt with a fatal blow.

“No!” Chris rushed after them. He swung Starbreaker, using the whip to retrieve Excalibur. He caught Excalibur in midair. Excalibur’s weight felt quite heavy to him, but the sword hummed as it accepted his touch. He swung Starbreaker once more at Abigor’s hands. The whip sharpened and struck Abigor’s wrists, severing his hands from his body. 

Abigor howled as his hands fell to the ground alongside Soulbane. Wyatt’s eyes widened from the gross spectacle even as he grinned from Chris saving his neck. While Abigor gave out a miserable cry, Chris tossed Starbreaker aside once he got within range of Abigor. Chris swung Excalibur across Abigor’s chest, the sword went deep enough to rip Abigor’s chest wide open. Blood and guts spilling out, while Abigor gasped his final breath.

Abigor’s bloody corpse fell to the ground before melting into smoke and ash. More swirling particles appeared that joined the growing mass. The collective particles floated back into the castle, no doubt, returning to Seth.

Wyatt wiped the bit of Abigor’s blood from his face. He looked at Chris who had Abigor’s blood staining his clothes. “That was disgusting.” Wyatt chuckled. “But also that was the coolest fucking thing you’ve ever done.”

Chris smirked. He pulled Wyatt up with his good arm. “Glad you finally appreciate me. You know I couldn’t let anyone kill you.” He handed Wyatt Excalibur back. Wyatt gratefully accepted his sword then reached over to heal Chris’s arm. 

“And me?” Joey stumbled after them. Apollo’s Bow dangled from his hand as he could barely maintain a firm enough grip. He also had Starbreaker with him, which he handed back to Chris. “I did good too. I killed Zagon. And probably got a concussion for it.”

“You sure did.” Chris started healing Joey’s head now that Wyatt fixed his arm. With Joey patched up, Chris turned to the ashes of the foes that they defeated. “So. Three down.”

Wyatt nodded. “Three to go.”

Joey sighed as he looked back at the castle. “It’s only going to get harder from here. But we need to keep fighting.”

“For everyone.” Wyatt turned to them. “We can do this. We got each other. That’s all we need to save the world!”

Chris and Joey smiled. They renewed their motivation as they marched back into the castle, moving on to face what remained of the Hellfire Club.

However, given the trance that Abigor, Zagon, and Lamia fell under, the brothers could only assume that a similar fate befell Zurie and Azazel. Even with the Hollow, they also knew that Seth would likely have enough self-control which made him the far greater threat. It worried them as they wondered what else Seth had waiting for them. 

Nonetheless, the brothers needed to move forward. They needed to defeat Seth immediately and without hesitation.

Following the magic, the brothers ran up another staircase and braced themselves for whatever might come next.


	43. Chosen Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Howdy! Yo! We're so close now to the finish line, but don't think I'll make it that easy on the Halliwells. There's still a lot more pain that I can put them through before the finale. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated!

In Neferica’s throne room, Seth carried the metal box emblazoned with ancient runes. The box contained the majority essence of the Hollow, the arcane black hole that devoured all forms of magic. A soft buzzing sounded vibrated against the box as the Hollow became active after Seth and the Hellfire Club summoned it from the Ancient Burial Ground.

A swarm of dark particles entered the throne room, forcing the lock on the box open. The swarm joined the collective before sealing itself back shut. Seth almost frowned as he placed the box onto a nearby throne. 

Seth turned behind him. Azazel and Zurie stood like statues with the reversed pentagrams glowing on their foreheads, while Barbas floated in his mirror’s voice. “Pity.” Seth walked away from the Hollow’s box. “It would appear that Zagon, Lamia, and Abigor perished against the Charmed Ones. I’ll almost miss them.” He shifted his gaze as he noticed tears trickling from Azazel and Zurie’s eyes even as they showed no other sign of emotion. Seth chuckled. “Don’t cry for them. They served their purpose.”

Seth flicked his wrist. “You should go now. Fulfill your purpose to me. Give my cousins a good fight.”

Azazel and Zurie nodded. They held hands as Azazel orbed them with black orbs after the brothers.

From his mirror, Barbas shook his head. He looked at Seth. “Not that I care about you or if you choose to listen, but it is unwise to play with the Hollow.” He tilted his head. “Surely the Charmed Ones used their active powers on those you infected with the Hollow. However, I do not sense their magic. Why not take their powers now? Make them more vulnerable.”

“I don’t want their powers. Not yet.” Seth waved his hand. In a flash of darkness, Soulbane manifested. He grabbed the sword and smirked. “I’m after the power that I shared with them and their individual powers. I’ll take everything from the Hellfire Club then I’ll take all that my family holds.”

Barbas squinted his eyes. “You’d betray your comrades? How demonic of you.”

“They plotted against me for years. I only struck first.” Seth reached for the Hollow’s box. The buzzing got louder as the Hollow responded to the fraction that Seth carried within him. “I will become the God of this universe. Even the Hollow has no other choice but to obey me.”

Barbas huffed. “For now.”

“Forever!” corrected Seth. “I am the true Ultimate Power! Everything is mine!” He sat himself down on the throne. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He centered his spirit so to maintain control of his new powers and the Hollow.

Barbas rolled his eyes. He retreated deeper into the shadows of his mirror. “You play with forces beyond your control, child. The Hollow will devour you too. Sooner or later.”

*~*

Meanwhile, at the castle’s gates, Bianca fought alongside the others to hold their ground. She slashed a panther-faced demon’s throat before moving onto another demon. Sweat poured from everywhere, while she also lost blood from a cut on her right arm. The bleeding stopped, but now she had to worry about potential infection.

Everyone else faired about as well as she did and suffered from a mixed level of exhaustion. 

Hank forged himself an ice lance that he used to stab demons from a range. He also constructed several spikes to do some of the killings. Meanwhile, he stood near Werewolf-Carver who started losing steam too. Werewolf-Carver had numerous scrapes and bites all over his body that somewhat recovered because of his werewolf healing. However, even Werewolf-Carver didn’t move with the same swiftness as he did earlier. 

Across from them, Tamora landed on the ground. Using the Empyreal Sword to generate wings sapped too much energy. She even had a harder time lifting the Empyreal Sword to fight so she focused on blowing demons up while using the sword to amplify her powers.

Nearby, PJ and Paulina floated above as they were the only ones that maintained some energy. They mostly ran on rage since they couldn’t do much to fight Seth so they were determined to destroy his demon army. PJ smashed a group of demons with a dark-pink hammer, while Paulina unleashed a barrage of dark-pink arrows. Their Rings of Eos continued to prove effective against the demons, but no one knew for how much longer that would prove true.

Bianca created an energy ball as she focused on a nearby lizard-faced demon. “Hurry up, guys. Stop Seth so we can get out of here.” She threw the energy ball at the demon. It didn’t vanquish the demon, but it did manage to blow up the demon’s arm. “This day’s never going to end.” She yelled as she charged after the lizard-faced demon with an athame.

Bianca prayed that the fight would end in their victory as she couldn’t imagine them being able to keep the fight going for much longer. 

*~*

At Halliwell Manor, Henrick finished linking his tablet to the TV. He did his best to play the image but no matter what he did, all they got back was static. “Fuck! The drones can’t get us anything.” Henrick kept trying to sharpen the image. “Our sensors can’t penetrate whatever magical fog is covering Neferica.”

Piper stared at the TV screen. Her arms crossed as she looked to Paige and Coop. Henry and Victor picked at some of the leftover food, while Gordon took care of Selena. The family gathered for comfort and support after the brothers decided to leave with their cousins, Bianca, and Carver.

Piper shook her head. “I don’t like any of this, but we can’t do a damn thing to help. Without the Power of Three or Phoebe, our magic’s only gotten weaker.”

Paige gently held Piper’s hand. “Don’t give up yet, Piper. We haven’t lost yet. We still got Leo, Kyra, and Brody.” 

Coop stared at his Cupid’s Ring. His eyes red and puffy from all the crying. It had a gentle glow, which made him smirk. “Kama’s getting everyone ready. I can’t speak on the Whitelighters or anyone else.”

“That’s what we want, right?” Victor hobbled into the sunroom with a cane for support. “The kids can do their best, but they need all the help that you can give them.” Coop and Paige nodded, while Piper stared at the TV for any change. 

Henry rushed over to help Victor to the sofa. “It’ll take an army to face an army. Let’s hope everyone comes through.”

Gordon held onto Selena as she played with her stuffed horse. He shifted his gaze onto the TV to notice a brief flicker. The static and fog vanished to show dozens of large figures surrounding a castle. His heart sank as he looked to Piper, noticing how still the image left her. 

Gordon closed his eyes. “Please come home, Wyatt. Everybody.”

Piper could hear Gordon’s words and prayed for the same thing as she didn’t know how her family could survive this battle in one piece. 

*~*

At Neferica, the brothers reached the upper levels of the castle. They found themselves near the throne room in a circular antechamber. The chamber had windows everywhere to let in light and expose the brothers to the fighting going down below them. Across from the brothers, a pair of statues of grotesque demonic-dragons guarded a pair of large double doors. The demon-dragon statues had their stone mouths opened and their clawed hands raised. 

They approached the doors and statues when black orbs gathered in front of the door. Azazel and Zurie appeared with blanks expressions as they stared at the brothers.

“Not again.” Wyatt guarded Chris and Joey with Excalibur. “So, you’re going to sacrifice yourselves for Seth?”

Azazel and Zurie blinked. They didn’t express any emotion as Seth’s spell and the Hollow continued to enslave their minds. “We serve the greater evil,” they spoke in unison. “We will stop you, Charmed Ones.”

Chris swung Starbreaker to ignite the energy whip. “Yeah. Yeah. We heard the mindless prattle before.”

Joey nodded as he pulled on Apollo’s Bow’s bowstring. “And look where that got your friends. They’re rotting in the Wasteland now.”

For a split second, Azazel and Zurie glared at Joey before they returned to an apathetic gaze. The brothers noticed the momentary shift as they wondered if they could use that to their advantage. However, Azazel and Zurie wouldn’t give the brothers longer than a second to think before striking.

Zurie fired a stream of fire from her hand, while Azazel unleashed a barrage of black lightning. The brothers dodged the attacks but also got separated in the process. Zurie focused her fire on Joey as Azazel targeted Wyatt and Chris. The constant barrage forced the brothers to keep on the defensive, especially as they had to consider the risk of losing their active powers because of the Hollow. 

Wyatt knew that he could’ve easily stopped the attacks with his force fields or deflection powers, but they were also their best defensive measures in a fight. Chris’s lightning blasts or telekinesis could’ve helped too but they were their strongest attacks. As for Joey, he also lost his energy manipulation abilities, he couldn’t risk losing anything else. Not that fighting in such a small chamber made it any easier.

Azazel kept his arms spread apart. Lightning flashed from his fingertips with the goal of shocking Wyatt and Chris. Wyatt swung Excalibur to block an incoming blast, while Chris tried to jump. However, a smaller streak of lightning struck Chris in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Wyatt screamed as he went after Chris. Azazel exploited Wyatt’s humanity as he directed all his lightning on Wyatt. 

The barrage of lightning forced Wyatt to raise his force field to save Chris and his life.

Meanwhile, Joey couldn’t fire any arrows. He had to stay constantly on the movie to avoid Zurie burning him to a crisp. He ducked as a fire stream neared his head. The sudden move caused him to lose his balance though, making him fall on the ground. Zurie smirked as she saw Joey fall. She launched a fireblast at him faster than he could move to safety.

Joey closed his eyes. He hadn’t absorbed any powers that might save his ass, which left him a sitting duck. “Fuck!” His words echoed as he felt the burning flames nearly touch him.

Surprisingly, a wave of scarlet energy surrounded Joey. Raw energy erupted from Joey’s body and met Zurie’s fire, triggering a shockwave of embers. Joey opened his eyes to see the scarlet glow surrounding him, while Zurie growled from the disruption.

Joey shook his head. “I still have my powers? How? I used them against Zagon.” Joey gasped. A thought crossed his mind. “Seth doesn’t want our powers. Maybe not yet. But the Hellfire Club.” He slowly got back on his feet. He looked to see Wyatt standing his ground against Azazel’s lightning, while Zurie prepared to unleash more fire. He fired an energy blast to knock Zurie into Azazel, stopping the lightning barrage. Wyatt and Chris looked equally shocked to see that Joey still had his active powers. “They’re not here to steal our powers! They’re sacrifices for Seth!”

“Sacrifices?” Chris got up as Wyatt dropped the force field. “Of course! They each have the Source’s essence and powers from the Tribunal and the Cleaners.”

Wyatt nodded as he started to follow along with their logic. “Seth wants all that power for himself. He’s too prideful to let anyone else kills us but him. He wants to guarantee that he’ll win. So that not even the Power of Three can surpass him.”

Joey rushed over to Wyatt and Chris, while Azazel and Zurie slowly got back on their feet. He touched Chris’s hand with golden sparks briefly flashing. “I hate letting our antichrist cousin have his way, but we don’t have much of a choice.” He turned to Wyatt and Chris as he pointed at the demon-dragon statues. “We still have to vanquish them.”

“Right.” They held their hands. They telekinetically shoved Azazel and Zurie towards the statues. The statue’s claws pierced Zurie’s back, the stone claw bulging from her chest. Azazel weighed more which the brothers failed to account for so the claws only pierced his shoulder. 

Zurie gasped for air. The pentagram faded from her forehead and her eyes flashed white. A potential future appeared before her to defy the previous outcomes. She sighed as her body began to slump forward. “This...this wasn't...what I wanted. What...I...planned. But...you...you have one chance...Charmed Ones.” Zurie closed her eyes as she began to erupt in flames. “Don’t...fail.” With Zurie dead, the Hollow’s swarm floated away as it returned to Seth.

Meanwhile, Azazel laughed as the pentagram faded from his forehead too. He looked at his bleeding shoulder then glared at the brothers. “It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head. “Whatever future Zurie saw where you’d win, it won’t happen. There is no stopping that boy.” Black lightning gathered around Azazel’s arm. “The monster that we facilitated. That we nurtured and betrayed. He’ll win.” He fired lightning from his hand.

Wyatt kept his hand raised. A blast of explosive light erupted from his palm and repelled Azazel’s lightning. Excalibur began to glow too, pouring additional magic into Wyatt, which allowed Wyatt to push Azazel’s lightning back. Wyatt’s light struck Azazel alongside the lightning, shocking Azazel until he exploded in flames and dark orbs. 

The flames and orbs faded into embers quickly enough with the Hollow’s swarm floating away too. The brothers watched the Hollow slip through the cracks of the door and knew that Seth became even stronger than before. 

Wyatt sighed. They didn’t have the chance to celebrate defeating some of their greatest adversaries as Seth remained in the picture. He didn’t look back as he led Chris and Joey forward. “Come on. We have a world to save.”

Chris and Joey nodded as they joined Wyatt. They pushed the double doors open, ready to do whatever it took to stop Seth.

*~*

In the throne room, Seth waited for the outcome of the fight. He could sense Azazel and Zurie keeping the brothers on their toes, but he also knew that it wouldn’t last for much longer. He smirked and grabbed the Hollow’s box. He left the throne and began to make final preparations for their battle. 

However, Seth didn’t make it too far from the throne when a sharp pain assaulted his head. He nearly dropped the Hollow’s box as his body went tense. “What?” Seth closed his eyes. The pain ignited every nerve in his body with fires washing over his eyes as they turned pitch black. “What is this pain?”

Laughter echoed behind Seth. Seth turned as he expected to see Barbas taunting him. But Seth found no visible sign of Barbas in the mirror. Instead, Seth found a demon in black robes and a half-burned face staring back at him. The demon had a split beard that covered only part of his chin with a pair of horned earrings on both ears as well as a faded tattoo on his forehead.

The Source of All Evil stared at Seth with his pitch-black eyes, laughing a little. “ _Little one. You cannot comprehend the mistake you made toying with the Hollow._ ” The Source smirked, revealing his jagged teeth. “ _This will lead to your downfall._ ”

Seth glared. “ _I am not you, father! I will not fall to the Charmed Ones as you did!_ ”

The Source shook his head. “ _My poor son. You know nothing._ ”

“ _Can you blame him? Our little prince didn’t have us to guide him?_ ” A hand touched Seth’s back. He jumped as he turned to spot a brown-skinned demon with braided hair. She wore a set of red robes with a swirled necklace dangling from her ear. “ _My darling boy. If only you had your mother’s guiding hand. I would’ve never allowed you to make such mistakes._ ”

Seth huffed. His soul recognized the Seer that proved so instrumental to his birth. “I’ve made no mistakes, Seer. I am perfection!”

“ _You certain?_ ” Cole appeared too, standing near Barbas’s mirror. He clicked his tongue. “ _All I’m seeing is a scared, little boy that is trying to play god. Look where that got me._ ”

“ _It got him sent to the void._ ” Phoebe stepped around the mirror. She took Cole’s hand as she stared at Seth with a disappointed scowl. “ _As for you, Seth, it's t_ _oo bad you didn’t stay gone. You are my greatest regret._ ”

Seth stomped his foot. “Enough! You, illusions, will not torment me! I am the Source now! I am evil perfected!” He launched fireballs at them. The illusions of the Source, the Seer, Cole, and Phoebe vanished into the ether. Meanwhile, the Hollow’s swarm entered the throne room where it entered the box. Seth’s eyes flashed darker as he took in Azazel and Zurie’s powers too, making him nigh-invincible. 

Seth grinned. He disregarded the illusions of his weak mind. He had all the power he could ever dream of wielding at his disposal now. He could destroy all that dared to oppose him, starting with his cousins.

Flames covered Seth’s body as he retreated deeper into Neferica to lure the brothers to their deaths.

As Seth disappeared, Barbas returned to the mirror. He could only shake his head as he witnessed the pitiful display earlier. “The boy’s mind is breaking.” He chuckled. “Good. Hopefully, it kills him.” Barbas almost retreated into the mirror’s voice when he felt a chill even within the glass. He grinned as he decided to stay. “This could work to my advantage. Let’s see where this goes.”

*~*

Pushing the doors open, the brothers finally entered the throne room. They found the colossal thrones and the dark mirror but found no sign of Seth anywhere. However, they could sense the lingering dark magic that told them that Seth recently left. 

They kept close as they didn’t trust that Seth would stay gone. They expected Seth to try a surprise attack, but so far found nothing. 

Except, they did see the empty mirror. 

Chris focused on the mirror’s cracks. He kept his distance even as Wyatt and Joey dared to step a little closer. “Something about that mirror doesn’t look right to me. It could be a trap. It might suck us in and imprison us.”

Wyatt and Joey gulped. They hadn’t considered that Seth might’ve cursed it. 

However, as they focused on the mirror and not their surroundings, they failed to recognize a growing presence. Shadows began to seep into the throne room from the cracks in the windows and doors. A chorus of low growly began to echo across the throne room, forcing the brothers to pay attention to a new threat.

The shadows shifted as they did at the castle’s gates. Dozens of demons began to manifest. The brothers attacked the demons before they fully materialized. Wyatt fired combustive blasts, Chris shot lightning, and Joey launched energy blasts. The constant barrage slowed the demons down, but it didn’t stop them from growing. 

Wyatt waved his hand to blast a demon while keeping a firm grip on Excalibur. “Great! Just what we needed. More demons.”

“I think we should consider an exit strategy!” Chris unleashed another lightning blast at a snake-faced demon. 

“But we still need to find Seth!” Joey unleashed a band of scarlet energy to knock down a group of demons.

Laughter echoed from the mirror. “Oh, Charmed Ones. If only someone could rescue you.” Barbas materialized from the mirror’s void. He had his arms crossed as he bore a smile on his wrinkly face. “So many demons. And you have so little time to spare. Whatever will you do?”

They turned back, ignoring the other demons. Wyatt and Chris gasped. “Barbas!”

Joey squinted his eyes. “That’s Barbas? He looks creepier than his illustration in the Book of Shadows.”

Barbas huffed. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Joseph.” He pointed over Joey’s shoulder. Joey turned just in time to spot a fox-faced demon approaching. Joey fired another energy blast that sent the demon to the Wasteland. “Now, maybe someone can do you, Charmed Ones, a favor. But it’ll cost you.”

Wyatt swung Excalibur at a demon with a mix between a hammerhead shark and a jaguar's face. “Not a chance! We know better than to strike a bargain with you!”

Chris almost nodded as he telekinetically pushed some demons back. “That’s right!” His eyes drifted to the mirror which he found curious when he thought more on it. “What are you doing in that mirror? Shouldn’t you be rotting in the Wasteland?”

“I was. Until your awful cousin and his dead comrades bound my essence here. They forced me to spread fear across the world to dip the balance.” Barbas smirked as he had Chris’s attention. “Now, if you release me, I can help clear you a path. I have more than enough power to defeat these demons.”

“No!” Wyatt blurted.

However, Chris didn’t seem so convinced. He focused on the growing demonic presence and recalled their family fighting at the castle gates. “After all the times you vowed revenge against our mom and her sisters, you’d help us? Why?”

Barbas pointed behind him. “I hate Seth far more than I hate you. And, you’re the only ones who can kill him. He is quickly losing his mind and control of the Hollow so the Power of Three might be enough to kill him. So, the enemy of my enemy.”

Joey fired an arrow from Apollo’s Bow. “I hate to say it, but we might need to take Barbas up on his offer. We can’t afford to waste our strength on these demons. Not when everyone else is putting their lives on the lines for us to get to Seth.”

“Fuck!” Wyatt decapitated a demon with the body of a grizzly bear and a bulbous head. He backed away from the approaching demons to get closer to his brothers and Barbas. “Damn it! Fine. But if you fuck us over, Barbas.”

Barbas nodded. “I’m no fool. We all die if I betray you. Whereas, if I help you then you kill Seth for me then I can get the chance to kill you another day.” Barbas spread his arms wide and tilted his head back. He would get his freedom even if only was fleeting. “Come, Charmed Ones. Face your fear! Release me from this prison!”

They hesitated but the growing demonic presence left them with no other choice. Wyatt closed his eyes as he thought of a spell. “ _The Power of Three will set Barbas free. The Power of Three will set Barbas free._ ” His words echoed across the throne room. Soon, Chris and Joey joined Wyatt in the chant. “ _The Power of Three will set Barbas free. The Power of Three will set Barbas free!_ ”

Light began to spread across the mirror. The cracks deepened while new cracks formed too. Barbas could sense his cage breaking. He knew that the Power of Three could overpower Seth’s magic. He could escape this dreadful prison now. As the cracks grew, Barbas slammed his hands against his glass prison.

The mirror shattered. Glass shards scattered but quickly became reduced to fine dust. The brothers covered their eyes as a precaution while the dust washed over them. 

All that remained of the mirror was its ghastly frame which soon crumbled. A smoke cloud manifested over the dust and the brothers that slowly ascended to the ceiling. More laughter echoed across the throne room. The brothers feared that Barbas sold them out, while the demons around them stopped dead in their tracks.

The smoke shifted as everyone saw Barbas’s face. “Thank you, Charmed Ones. Now. To repay my debt!”

The smoke came crashing down on the throne room. However, none of the smoke touched the brothers but instead crushed the demons. The demons howled in agony as they became reduced to nothing, leaving the brothers untouched.

The smoke slowly faded with a light echo of Barbas’s laugh remaining. “I shall return someday, Charmed Ones, but not today.” Barbas’s voice faded with the smoke. “Now, go. Vanquish the brat!”

Barbas’s voice disappeared. The brothers couldn’t sense Barbas’s presence at all. They didn’t know if he got sent back to the Wasteland or if he reiterated to the deepest shadows of the Underworld. However, they did take his threat of someday returning seriously. 

Joey shook his head. “I don’t need a premonition to tell me that Barbas is going to be trouble for us in the future.”

“Not at all,” said Wyatt, “but we needed his help. It’s not like we had much of a choice.”

“Yeah.” Chris looked to the throne room’s balcony. He could see sparks of magic from the windows which told him all that he needed to know. “Come on. If Barbas told the truth then we have a window to vanquish Seth. Let's not waste a second of it.” Chris pointed at the balcony.

Wyatt and Joey looked at the balcony, noticing the same sparks that Chris saw. Wyatt took Joey’s hand as he orbed them to the balcony while Chris orbed himself. Once there, they pressed onward to face Seth.

*~*

At Neferica’s gates, the battle turned for the worst. The family got pushed back with the demons nearly overwhelming them. 

PJ and Paulina took a defensive position as they erected a dark-pink force field to keep the demons from getting closer. Hank blew freezing wind and Bianca fired energy balls at the approaching demons. Carver shifted back into his human form after sustaining too many injuries, forcing Tamora to heal him before the injuries worsened. 

More demons emerged from the shadows. They began to slam themselves against the dark-pink force field, demonstrating that they’d break through given enough time. PJ and Paulina groaned from the psychic strain. They pushed as hard as they could to maintain the force field because otherwise, the demons would massacre them. 

Tamora finished healing Carver as she saw a dragon-faced demon slam against the barrier. She yelped. “Fuck! We need to retreat now!”

Carver groaned. While Tamora healed the surface wounds, Carver’s body still suffered a rather agonizing pain. “But Joey...the guys.” He groaned again when he tried to move. “We can’t leave them alone. The demons will go after them next.”

“It’s not like we have much of a choice!” Hank dropped to his knees. He struggled to generate more ice as his body grew weak and his vision blurred. “We can’t keep fighting like this.”

“He’s right.” Bianca tossed another energy ball at a sabertooth tiger-faced demon. The energy ball didn’t vanquish the demon, but it appeared to stun it. “Our magic is running low. We need to get out while we still have the chance.”

Paulina nodded. “PJ and I will keep guard. You, guys, get out of here. We’ll follow.”

“Good idea,” said PJ. “When we count to three, get moving. Right? One! Two!”

“Drop the force field!” A surge of mystical energy rippled from behind them. PJ and Paulina hesitated for a split second before dropping their force field. The demons tried to come closer when a massive sphere of golden light surged forward, striking the demons.

A massive explosion went off that obliterated many of the demons, while forcing the other demons to fall back. The family gasped as they didn’t know what happened. However, upon looking back, they found smiling faces greeting them.

Glynnis’s muscle bulged as she lifted a giant bazooka with a tiger’s face as an opening. The bazooka glistened with mystical energy as she pulled the trigger once more to fire another blast to strike a group of demons. The explosion blasted the demons, demonstrating its destructive capabilities. 

Glynnis whistled. “Yo! Sorry, it took so long to get here. A lot of people wanted to help!”

Around Glynnis, dozens of people gathered. Tyler, Kareem, and Billie rushed forward to take point as they gathered more fighters. Tyler launched a fireball, while Kareem blasted a pair of demons with sound waves as Billie telekinetically flung demons at the castle. The Ogre, Etka, led his comrades as they smashed some demons, while Alma Madsen brought some of her Coven members to fight. They tossed vanquishing potions to force the demons onto the defensive now. 

The Elf, Rusin, joined the fighting with his fellow Elves. They fired silver-tipped arrows that made quick work of many demons. Bianca’s cousin Marco brought many of her Phoenix relatives with her as they too joined the fray to stop the demonic invasion. Marco supported Bianca's other cousin, Nicole, as they threw athames at a gorgon demon’s head. Meanwhile, the staff and some of Chris’s students at Magic School also joined in the fighting alongside staff and students from the Knox Academy. Sasha was amongst them as she used her psychic abilities to cause some of the demons’ brains to explode. 

More allies of the Halliwells gathered too, doing all that they could to hold the demons of Neferica from doing any more damage. 

Brody rushed over as he fired a blast of light that knocked a bat-demon from the sky. He went over to help Hank on his feet. “Once we put out the call that the Charmed Ones needed the magical community’s help, we had a lot of people ready to volunteer. It took us quite a while to get enough Whitelighters and Cupids to teleport everyone.”

As Brody spoke, they saw Whitelighters and Cupids spreading out. The Whitelighters participated in the fighting now that they had offensive abilities thanks to the Empyreal Sword. They flung explosive orbs that kept the demons back, while also healing anyone that got injured. The Cupids provide similar support as they used their love magic to heal while also evacuating the injured to safer locations.

Tamora smiled. She rushed over to Glynnis, kissing her cheek before focusing on the magical bazooka. "Did you build that?"

Glynnis shook her head. "I borrowed it from Apollo. Since he needed to stay at Erotia, he offered me this bazooka that Hephaestus made to serve in his place. Not counting the volunteers that we recruited from Erotia." 

The tide turned at Neferica’s gates. The demons began to flee towards the castle as the magical community’s opposition proved truly frightening. The magical community didn’t allow the demons to escape as they kept charging into battle.

Billie swung her arm. Her magic ripped a heavy vine from the wall that crushed a group of demons. “We got this now!” She turned to the others. “You guys rest up! It's our turn to fight for you!” 

Tyler nodded. He ignited another group of demons in flames, while Kareem blasted more with sound waves. “Your family’s done so much for us!” said Tyler. “You’ve sacrificed so much to keep us safe! It’s time that we repay the favor!”

“Yeah!” cheers echoed across the castle gates. 

The magical community put up their best fight against the demon army. Their presence brought smiles to Bianca and the others as they almost feared that they wouldn’t get any help. But here the magical community was, they showed up in their darkest hour. 

Bianca turned to everyone else. They nodded as they rejoined the magical community in fighting the demons now that they got their second wind and faith restored.

*~*

Busting down the balcony’s doors, the brothers found themselves on an open terrace. They stepped outside where they heard the clashing of the battle continued at the gates, however, their eyes focused on the greater threat. Seth stood at the edge of the balcony with the Hollow’s box in hand. He grinned, his eyes remaining pitch black as the Hollow and the Source of All Evil’s influence weighed heavy on his spirit.

Seth dropped the box on the ground. He didn’t care what happened to it as he still had the Hollow within him. “You took your sweet time coming here. Although I can’t complain too much.” Seth clenched his fist. Black lightning crackled across his arm. Then, he moved at blinding speed to another section of the terrace. 

The brothers struggled to keep up with Seth until he finally returned to the previous spot. His eyes flashed white for a second and the metal rail at the edge of the terrace began to warp. An explosion of sparks manifested in his hand as he summoned Soulbane. “Wonderful! Isn’t it?” Seth chuckled as he dragged Soulbane across the ground while he approached the brothers. “I have the full powers of the Source again, but I also wield the Hollow and that of my former comrades in the Hellfire Club. There is nothing you can do to vanquish me!”

Wyatt glared and shook his head. “That’s what you think! Evil bastard! We’ll get revenge for what you did to Aunt Phoebe! Now!” Wyatt struck Excalibur into the ground then joined hands with Chris and Joey. 

The brothers braced themselves to recite the spell to banish the Hollow. Piper used it once before with Patty and Penny to banish the Hollow during the Ultimate Battle. The brothers hoped it would this time around too even as Seth wielded far more power and had more time to adjust to carrying the Hollow.

“ _Iam Is Addo_!” chanted the brothers. “ _Hic Is Addo! Malum Quod Bonus! Vox In Conssesus! Super Dico Nos_!”

For a split second, Seth appeared in pain. He stopped dead in his tracks, while the Hollow reacted to the spell. The Hollow began to remove itself from Seth’s body, but Seth pulled the Hollow back before the spell could strip him of power.

Seth cracked his neck and continued to chuckle. “Is that the best that the almighty Charmed Ones can muster? Or am I that superior to you now?”

Joey gulped. “Uh! Plan A didn’t work!”

Chris cracked Starbreaker. “Then switch to Plan B!” He launched Starbreaker’s energy whip at Seth only for Seth to block the attack with Soulbane. Wyatt and Joey took the hint as they started to make their moves. 

Wyatt grabbed Excalibur. He fired Excalibur’s silver and azure whirlwind at Seth, hoping that it would surprise Seth. However, Seth showed himself ready for anything. Seth projected a dark barrier that blocked Wyatt’s attack even as the barrier shattered once the whirlwind faded.

Joey took advantage of the opportunity. He began to fire several arrows at Seth. Seth shattered every arrow with Soulbane, but it still left Seth exposed. Chris started cracking Starbreaker at Seth again, forcing Seth to focus entirely on shielding himself.

More arrows started to rain on Seth while the whip danced circles around him too. It would’ve made more sense for Seth to create another barrier, but the constant barrage divided his focus. The best he could do block every incoming blow. However, he wouldn’t remain so fortunate. As he knocked a lashing aside, an arrow struck his hand. The shock forced him to relinquish Soulbane, leaving him completely exposed. 

Wyatt jumped at the chance. He orbed across the terrace to get behind Seth. Then, Wyatt lunged to plunge Excalibur into Seth’s chest like Seth did to Phoebe. Unfortunately, Seth would fall for such an obvious trap. Black orbs surrounded Soulbane as Seth orbed the sword to his hand once more. Seth blocked Excalibur while smiling at Wyatt. 

“Oh?” said Seth. “I’ll say it again. Is that the best you can do?”

Wyatt smirked. “Made you look.”

Seth squinted his eyes. He didn’t realize what Wyatt meant until it was too late. Chris cracked Starbreaker, swinging the whip so that it wound itself around Seth’s neck. Seth got tugged back as Joey fired another arrow from Apollo’s Bow. The arrow struck Seth’s left shoulder, landing right above his heart, causing crippling pain. The god-killing arrow burned furiously and showed its greatest potential in weakening Seth.

As Seth once more fell into a vulnerable position, Wyatt summoned the Ancient Athame in a swirl of orbs. Despite it lacking its old power, they had Glynnis repair the Ancient Athame so that they could use it against Seth. The brothers blessed it with the Power of Three, hoping it would reignite enough of the ancient magic to do something.

Wyatt lunged after Seth once more and plunged the Ancient Athame in Seth’s heart. Wyatt staked Seth like he would a vampire.

Seth uttered a horrific scream. The Ancient Athame began to glow. Seth glared at Wyatt while barely getting the chance to utter a “No” before he exploded in a swarm of black particles. Meanwhile, Soulbane and the bloody Ancient Athame landed on the ground over a pile of ashes. They bounced loud enough to create an echo that lingered for a second. 

Wyatt’s jaw dropped. He looked at Chris and Joey who appeared equally shocked that their plan actually worked. He stepped over Seth’s ashes as he rushed after them. “That worked! That fucking worked!” He hugged them. “We did it! We vanquished Seth!”

Chris smiled. “We did it, Aunt Phoebe.”

Joey chuckled. “That evil bastard is rotting away now.”

The brothers prepared to rejoice at their victory when black lightning flashes across Neferica’s dark skies. The ashes swirled with the Hollow’s box glowing brightly. The ashes saw to Seth reconstituting himself, cheating a well-deserved vanquish.

Seth didn’t allow the brothers to have even a second to process his return. He brought his hands together and unleashed a mighty shockwave that knocked the brothers to the ground. The shockwave spread outward, creating a mighty gust of wind that nearly blew everyone and everything else off the terrace. 

Seth slowly tilted his head to the side. His eyes focused on the brothers who dared to believe that they could win. “You. Charmed Ones. You have no power over me. Nothing you can do will be enough to vanquish me!” Lightning cracked across Seth’s body and coiled around his arms. “Allow me to show you what happens when you dare to strike a God only to fail!”

Seth unleashed a barrage of lightning before the brothers could defend themselves. The black lightning electrified the brothers and lifted them into the air, forcing them to scream. Their insides began to boil over and everything burned. They couldn’t even begin to imagine how the pain could get worse as their bodies thrashed uncontrollably from the lightning. 

While the brothers thrashed, Seth laughed manically from the show. “Yes!” Seth’s laughter got louder as the brothers continued to scream. “Yes! Die! Die, Charmed Ones! Die!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliff hanger! But, come on, we're near the end. I gotta keep you on the edge of your seats! 
> 
> See you next week!


	44. Calling All Charmed Ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the sort-of finale of the fic! The brothers have their final battle against Seth, so brace yourselves for the extra-long conflict between them. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Also, the chapter title is inspired from Adore Delano's song "Calling All Goddesses," which I always thought of as a Charmed song. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated.

At Neferica’s gates, the battle raged. The Halliwell family and their allies battled the demonic horde, stalling the demons’ progress from spreading out across the world. Meanwhile, high above on the castle’s terrace, they could see explosions and flashes of magic from the brothers and Seth’s battle. 

Bianca punched a demon with goat horns on its head across the face. The demon stumbled, its guard lowered as Tamora came in to stab the demon with the Empyreal Sword. The demon exploded into ash, clearing up more space. 

However, despite their minor victory, the battle didn’t fare well for the family and their allies. Members of the magical community fell to the demons. A green-skinned demon with razor-sharp teeth ripped an Elf’s neck open. A witch got stabbed in the chest, while a group of demons torn a Cupid to pieces.

Everyone started to fall onto a defensive position as they didn’t know for how much longer they could keep the fight going. 

Glynnis fired another blast of pure concentrated magic from Hephestaus’s bazooka. The blast obliterated dozens of demons, but the threat persisted. More demons stormed the area, preparing to destroy what remained of the resistance. 

Carver phased back into his human form. His body ached from the strain of shifting back and forth to his werewolf form, while his body had little time to heal from the injuries. He collapsed onto his knees. He called a Whitelighter for healing when a hand touched his shoulder. He expected to see a Whitelighter or even a Cupid but saw someone else that had a vastly different scent.

A dark-skinned woman with dark curly hair stood over Carver. She had a flowy, fuchsia dress with a sheer shawl wrapped over her frame. She had her brown eyes focused on the battle, on the chaos that raged around them. 

Carver squinted his eyes. “Who are you?”

She smirked. “Easy, child of the moon. I am a friend.” She brushed her hand against Carver’s face. Sparks of white light washed over Carver to instantly heal him. He gasped, while she ignored his shock to focus on the battle. “I’m Neena.”

“Neena?” Carver gasped again as he recalled that name. “The First Witch? That Neena?”

Neena nodded. She walked away from Carver and waved her hand to conjure a patch of grass as a demon knocked PJ from the sky. PJ got a much softer landing which spared her from a serious injury. When PJ looked up, she gasped upon recognizing Neena.

“What!” PJ shook her head. “Why are you here, Neena? Shouldn’t you be at the All with your husband?”

“I’m here because the events here are endangering the All.” Neena raised her arm once more. “Only the Charmed Ones can stop the breakdown of this world. So, unlike your higher powers, I will intervene on your behalf!” Neena snapped her fingers. In a flash, an explosion of light rippled from Neena’s body as she used her magic and connection to the Nexus of the All to rescue everyone.

The light expanded across the castle’s gate and vanquished every demon that got caught in the light. The demons crumbled to smoky ash, while Neena didn’t appear even the least bit drained from such a mighty display of magic.

The family and magical community gasped, shocked that Neena wielded such power.

Neena turned to everyone now that she ensured their safety. “The battle here is done. Please, return to your homes.”

Bianca wanted to thank Neena, but her thoughts shifted over to the brothers. “What about Chris and the others?” She pointed to the flash of lightning at the highest tower of the castle. “They’re fighting Seth right now! You can’t tell me that we need to abandon them when we can help them stop Seth!”

“You cannot help them,” said Neena. “The Hollow will take your magic. I will assist them. But you return home now before Seth comes after you too.” Before Bianca or anyone else could protest, Neena vanished in a flash of green light. 

“Damn it!” Bianca moved to chase after Neena when Hank grabbed her hand.

Hank shook his head. “We have to trust Neena. She’s helped us before; she won’t disappoint us.” He pointed at everyone else. Then, Bianca began to notice the many injured and dying from the fight. “Come on. Let’s make sure we tend to those hurt before it gets worse.”

Bianca sighed. “Right.” She nodded and began to give orders. “Everyone with teleportation powers, get the injured and dying to somewhere safe for healing. Those with healing powers, stabilize the gravely injured. Get moving, people!”

*~*

On Neferica’s terrace, Seth released the brothers from their electrifying death. The brothers landed on the ground, barely able to move. They could hardly see and they suffered from such internal burns that they didn’t know if they could bounce back much less fight. 

Seth laughed. He walked over to the brothers, his arms folded behind his back. He stared at their battered bodies while wisps of smoke floated from them. “Poor. Poor Charmed Ones. You really are far too weak to challenge me.” Seth licked his bottom lip. He got the closest to Wyatt and grabbed Wyatt by his hair. “And you, false Twice-Blessed Child, I guess we finally proved who is most worthy of the title. And it’s not you.” Seth shoved Wyatt’s face to the ground, hard enough that he busted Wyatt’s lip and gave him a bloody nose too.

Seth got back on his feet. He conjured a fireball with metal rings over his hand, while continuing to glare at Wyatt. “Now, to break the Power of Three and eliminate the pretender. Say hi to my mother for me, Wyatt.” Seth moved to toss the fireball, ready to kill Wyatt.

“No!”

Blue lightning and scarlet energy rippled across the terrace. Seth didn’t have the chance to think when the magical assault hit his chest, knocking him towards the railing. 

Wyatt covered his bloody face when he noticed that Chris and Joey came to his rescue. However, their actions came at a price. They saw a swarm of dark particles flutter across Seth’s body. Then, blue lightning and scarlet energy lashed over Seth’s hands, while he laughed. 

Seth licked his lips once more. “You’d sacrifice your magic to save your big brother? Cute. Stupid. But cute.” Seth flinched. They noticed that Chris’s lightning appeared to shock Seth, while Joey’s energy manipulation abilities burned Seth’s hand. 

Joey reached for Apollo’s Bow while looking to Wyatt. “Take the shot.”

Wyatt nodded. He orbed their weapons and the Ancient Athame to them before he flicked his fingers, striking Seth with a combustive blast. The blast pushed Seth back to the railing with the Hollow responding as Wyatt lost his powers too. He squeezed onto Excalibur’s handle while also taking the Ancient Athame too as he forced himself to his feet, while Joey and Chris did the same. 

Seth’s body was scattered in light-blue orbs for a split second. The orbs faded as Seth regained his composure. He smiled once he saw the brothers standing and armed for battle.

Chris cracked Starbreaker while snuffing out the pain from Seth’s earlier assault. “We don’t need our active powers to fight you, Seth. We got our weapons and the Power of Three!”

“Oh?” Seth tilted his head. “Are you sure? Because I don’t see any weapons.” Seth’s eyes flashed pitch black. The weapons vanished from the brothers’ hands then reappeared floating around Seth. Seth snapped his fingers. Cracks from across their weapons before everyone shattered into pieces.

Excalibur, Starbreaker, Apollo’s Bow, and the Ancient Athame fell to the ground in a pile of broken pieces as Seth took what little the brothers had left at their disposal. The brothers’ jaws dropped. Their hands trembled as they lost the familiar weight of their weapons, but their hearts also broke. The weapons weren’t just weapons to them, but an important part of them.

Wyatt’s connection to Excalibur came from birth, something that he always knew. Joey recalled how Apollo gifted him the bow as a token of their love affair, something he adored. And Chris, Starbreaker represented a precious gift from Neena, something to prove him equal to his brothers, and now it was lost. 

“They’re gone,” whispered Joey. “What...what do we do now?”

Chris clenched his fist. “We still need to vanquish Seth. Even without our weapons. Even without the Ancient Athame. We have to try something.”

Wyatt nodded. He brushed the blood across his sleeve. “One more try. One more spell.”

“No more spells!” Seth laughed. He stepped over the broken weapons. He generated Chris and Azazel’s lightning across his arms, preparing for another mighty blast. But his body grew cold. He stopped for a second as the Hollow reacted to the abundance of magic that he absorbed as it made him shiver.

That didn’t go unnoticed. The brothers joined hands as they saw an opportunity.

Wyatt smiled despite the pain it caused him. “Not even you can handle all the power that you absorbed, Seth. You might’ve bit more than you can chew.”

“Fuck you!” hissed Seth.

The brothers chanted. “ _The Power of Three we now decree! The Power of Three will set you free! The Power of Three will destroy thee!_ ” Orbs of bright gold light surrounded Seth. The orbs attempted to vanquish Seth as the brothers recited the same spell that they used to vanquish Christy. They hoped it would work as the Power of Three was all that they had left. 

The golden orbs burned against Seth’s skin. He screamed from the pain, but a flash of fir rippled across his body. The flames spread and consumed the golden orbs as Seth broke free from the spell.

Seth took several deep breaths before glaring at the brothers. “Is that the best you can do?” He brought his hands together. He conjured a colossal fireball that easily towered over him. He laughed as he threw the fireball at the brothers, which would unleash a destructive blast that would instantly kill them. The brothers started to back away, but they knew that they didn’t stand a chance at escaping. Without their active powers or a teleportation potion, they couldn’t escape Seth’s attack.

Fearing the inevitable, the brothers held onto each other’s hands. They closed their eyes and embraced their deaths. 

However, Death would not claim the brothers today.

A flash of green light appeared between the brothers and the fireball. Neena appeared in the nick of time. She blinked, causing the fireball to collapse into tiny embers that would harm no one.

The brothers gasped as they immediately called out Neena’s name.

Meanwhile, Seth huffed. He patted the wrinkles from his shirt as he shifted his attention onto Neena. “Well. If it isn’t Neena.” He huffed again. “What brings the great Goddess here? Come to surrender your magic to me too?”

Neena shook her head. “I am here to protect this world from you. But first.” Neena crossed her arms over her chest. “ _Ligare veneficus. Daemon ligare. Ut usque eo!_ ”

Golden chains manifested around Seth that kept him perfectly still. He fought the restraints, but Neena’s spell proved powerful enough to keep Seth in place. 

Neena turned to the brothers, noticing their severe injuries. She waved her hand over them as she healed them like she did Carver. The injuries faded as the brothers could breathe normally without feeling like they were breathing fire. 

The brothers stumbled over towards Neena as they tried to ask why she came here.

“We’ll discuss it later.” Neena flicked her wrist. The box that contained the Hollow’s essence teleported to his hand, while Seth screamed his outrage. She ignored his protests as she made the inscription on the box visible to her and the brothers. “Read it with me.”

Joey shook his head. “But the spell only works when good and evil work together.”

“It works with neutral beings too. Now, say the damn spell before Seth breaks free!”

The brothers nodded. They laid their hands on Neena while looking at the inscription. “ _Aboleo extum cavium du eternias!_ ” The words escaped their lips as Seth broke the chains. Golden sparks danced across the floor and Seth charged after them as he summoned another fireball.

However, Seth felt the pressure of the banishing spell. The Hollow’s particles slowly ripped themselves out of Seth’s body, which would also strip him of the powers that he absorbed. The Hellfire Club’s powers would get lost to him while the brothers regained their magic. 

Seth needed to act fast as the last of the Hollow started to return to its box. He clenched his fist with a wave of violet energy manifesting and his eyes turned pitch-black once more. “Not all of it! You won’t win!” A wave of violet energy rippled out from Seth’s body as the last piece of the Hollow returned to the box.

They didn’t know what damage the energy wave could do. But as the Hollow’s box closed and vanished from Neena’s hands, returning to the burial ground, they knew that they needed to act.

Wyatt’s instincts kicked into overdrive. His body went tense as he projected his blue force field, which covered them from the energy wave. The violet energy rippled over Wyatt’s barrier, but the barrier held. Wyatt smiled as he had his powers back. Chris generated lightning and Joey gathered scarlet energy as they noticed that they got their powers back too. 

Wyatt dropped the force field, while Seth dropped to his knees. “It’s over, Seth. You’re done!”

Seth shook his head. He clenched his fists with sparks of dark light arising. “No! It’s not over until I say it’s over!” He chuckled. “The Source. The Tribunal. The Cleaners. I still have their powers! Even if I lost my fallen comrades’ powers. The rest still belong to me! I’m still more than powerful enough to kill all of you!”

“Not for much longer!” Neena crossed her arms over her chest once more. “ _Ego eieci te!_ ”

Seth screamed as a blast of energy struck him. He vanished in a puff of smoke, but the brothers knew that Neena didn’t vanquish him. They could still sense the echoes of his magic, which meant that she only banished him.

However, the brothers could breathe easy. They had a moment to process and recover from the chaos of the battle. 

Chris looked at Neena. “Thanks, Neena. You really saved our asses. But...why are you here? Why show up now?”

Neena turned to them. “Because this world is dying, and it is up to you to save it.” She extended her hand to them. They took it without hesitation, so she teleported them from Neferica as their presence no longer mattered here. 

*~*

Green light erupted across Halliwell Manor as Neena brought the brothers to the sunroom. A chorus of cheers from all the smiling faces. Bianca, Carver, and Gordon got to the brothers first with Gordon carrying Selena, hugging them close before everyone else. Piper and Leo appeared so relieved to see their sons make it home, while everyone else could breathe easier. 

The cousins stood beside their parents, Victor, Henrick, Billie, Kyra, Glynnis, and Brody. The brothers heard whispers of the magical army waiting for the news of needing to face Seth again or if they saved the world. 

Neena broke the news though that Seth would return soon enough as he was only banished, not killed. “That one is pure trouble.” Neena looked at the TV. She could see the fuzzy images from the drone. “Luckily, the demons of Neferica are vanquished so it has nothing left to offer Seth.”

Joey held onto Carver’s arm, while Carver kissed Joey’s head. “Yay. We can use one bit of good news since we released Barbas.”

“Barbas?” said Piper, Leo, and Paige. 

Chris nodded as he had an arm wrapped around Bianca’s waist. “Seth imprisoned Barbas, but we released him so that he could help us vanquish some demons. But Barbas made it clear how much he hates Seth so I doubt we’ll need to worry about Barbas for now.”

Wyatt squeezed onto Gordon and Selena. “Right. So...Seth. How do we vanquish him? He destroyed our weapons and he’s survived the strongest spells we have. What can we do?” Wyatt shook his head. “Neena. What did you mean when you said that the world’s dying?”

“Seth’s actions have disrupted the mystical alignment of the world,” said Neena. “The balance is so destroyed that even the Nexus of the All is being affected. If something isn’t done soon then this world will die.”

“Great!” Piper’s voice boomed. “It just keeps getting worse.”

Neena could sense the despair amongst them. She witnessed enough from the All to see their struggles, the blood and tears they shed because of Seth and the Hellfire Club. “There is still hope.” She turned to the brothers. “If the Charmed Ones stand strong then Seth can fall. But only if you know the truth.”

Chris squinted his eyes. “The truth about what?”

“Your origins,” said Neena.

“No!” A booming voice echoed across the manor. Everyone looked around as an orb of light descended from the ceiling with sparkling lights surrounding the orb. The orb shattered into tinier sparks as a bronze-skinned Angel of Destiny manifested in her light-blue robes. The Angel of Destiny folded her arms over her chest. “Neena, that is enough! You cannot interfere with the Grand Design!” 

Neena rolled her eyes. “I do not serve you, Angel. I am an Emissary of the All. You have no authority over me!” She lifted her dress slightly as she gracefully fell onto the sofa. She smiled. “Now, why don’t you start telling the truth? Like how you’ve lied about Seth. He isn’t an aberration, hidden from your nigh-omnipotent foresight. You knew of Seth’s coming all this time.”

“What!” Everyone turned to the Angel of Destiny.

The Angel of Destiny glared at Neena then gave a heavy sigh. She closed her eyes. “Yes...we knew about Seth. We knew that he triggered his reincarnation.” 

Neena coughed. “And? Do share how that further inspired you to manipulate Piper and Leo’s destinies.”

Piper and Leo’s eyes widened. They expressed shock despite already knowing how the Angels of Destiny previously interfered in their lives. Leo almost died because the Angels wanted Piper prepared for the Ultimate Battle against the Triad and the Jenkins sisters.

Piper walked closer towards the Angel. “The Ultimate Battle...did it even need to happen? Did you orchestrate that just to go after Seth?”

Once more, the Angel sighed. “No. That battle was always coming. Neena isn’t referring to that part of your destinies. We altered your body, making it difficult for you and Leo to conceive until you could give birth on the fated day of the Twice-Blessed Child’s prophecy. However, once Phoebe became pregnant with Seth, we knew that he’d be tied to the prophecy too. It is why we were initially pleased when you vanquished him, the Seer, and the Demonic Council. However, we quickly learned that Seth triggered his reincarnation, so we manipulated your body so that you'd conceive Wyatt.”

“Bitch.” Piper clenched her fist. The turmoil she felt when she thought for so long that something was wrong with her body when she struggled to conceive only to learn that the Angels of Destiny altered her body nearly sent her over the edge.

“And!” said Neena. Piper gasped. Leo immediately held Piper’s hand as they feared what else they might learn.

“And,” said the Angel, “we did the same with Christopher and Joseph. Knowing that Seth existed, we needed to guarantee that Wyatt would become a Charmed One, but we needed to ensure that his siblings would also carry great power to ensure Seth’s defeat. We made it so that Leo became an Elder so Christopher could inherit an Elder’s magic, while for Joseph, we ensured that Leo became mortal so that Joseph would be a full-witch and further manipulated his magic to manipulate energy rather than psychic forces.”

Piper flinched. Her instincts nearly pushed her to action, but Leo interfered. However, not as anyone expected. Leo didn’t stop Piper from attacking the Angel out of deference to the Angel. Instead, Leo punched the Angel.

Not since Gideon had such a burning rage boiled in Leo’s heart. Leo would’ve attacked again if he hadn’t known how pointless it was to fight an Angel of Destiny. “How dare you!” Leo growled. “You caused us...our family so much pain. So much suffering. All for the Grand Design!” 

The Angel brushed her lip. Leo’s punch didn’t draw any blood, but the Angel responded mostly from instinct. She straightened her robes and nodded. “Yes. We knew of the harm that Seth would cause, so we wanted to guarantee that this world would survive. That is why...that is why we continued to interfere in your sons’ lives.”

“Bitch!” shouted Chris. His voice surprised everyone as they knew him as being calmer like Leo. Wyatt and Joey grinned as they liked seeing fighty Chris. “What else did you do to us?” Chris released Bianca’s hand. “How else did you alter our lives for your agenda?”

The Angel sighed. “You, Christopher. The version of yourself from the dark timeline, he didn’t need to die. But we orchestrated his death so that your spirits would merge and you’d experience his trauma, therefore, claim his motivation for yourself.” She turned to Joey. “As for you, Joseph, we purposely put you on a collision course with the Cult of Asmodeus. We made it so that you fell in love with Mark then watch him die, to personally push you over the edge.” Joey nearly attacked the Angel, but luckily Carver held him back. The Angel turned to Wyatt. As her eyes fell onto him, Wyatt’s heart sank as he feared what she did. “And you, Wyatt, we altered your destiny many times. We made it so that your band became unpopular and lost the contest to ensure that the Charmed Ones remained intact. Then, we made it so that you met Veronica and have a child, to further attach you to everyone else. Then一”

Wyatt closed his eyes as he knew what would come next. “Don’t. Don’t you dare say it!”

“We allowed Veronica to die. So that you would embrace more of your power and do whatever is necessary to protect those that you loved.” The Angel frowned. “It was the only way we could guarantee a future where you’d succeed at defeating Seth. All these manipulations were done to protect the Grand Design.” 

“Fuck your Grand Design!” Joey broke free from Carver’s grip. He stomped after the Angel. While he didn’t punch her as Leo did, he did jab her in the chest with his finger. “Leave! You are no longer wanted here.”

The Angel squinted her eyes. She glanced at Joey’s finger then at him. “What we did was for the best of everyone.”

“Go away,” said Joey. “And don’t you or any of you Angels come back here. Or else we will vanquish you.”

The Angel shifted her gaze to everyone else. She could see the hostility in everyone’s eyes, recognizing that they shared Joey’s sentiment. She nodded. “Best of luck, Charmed Ones.” She vanished in sparks of light, retreating to the Angels of Destiny’s domain.

As the last spark vanished, Neena got up from the sofa. Neena shook her head. “That is why I wanted no part of the Angels in my life. Why I fought so hard to break from their control.” She sighed. “I apologize for not doing more to protect you. Or for failing to see their lies sooner. But now you know the truth. May it set you free.”

Wyatt had tears trickling down his face. He held Selena close, trying his best not to ball his eyes out as the Angel revealed her hand in Veronica’s death. He took a deep breath. “What now? Do you know how to stop Seth?”

“Not quite, but I have more information that might help.” Neena held onto Chris and Joey’s hands. She gestured for Wyatt to come closer too. Wyatt handed Selena to Gordon before joining them. Neena smiled. “The reason that the Power of Three is so unstoppable is because it is the union between Courage, Wisdom, and Love. Three fundamental concepts that fuel the soul. Those who are capable of invoking the Power of Three embody those concepts, granting them access to that greater power. However, the Angels’ interference did more than ensure your births and inflict you with countless traumas, but they also made it that each of you perfectly embodied these traits. It is what makes your magic stronger than that of your mother and aunts. That is your key to defeating Seth and saving the world.”

Chris chuckled. “Courage, Wisdom, and Love. Let me guess. I embody wisdom because I’m the smartest. Wyatt is courage because he’s the strongest. And Joey is love because he’s had quite the romantic life.”

Neena chuckled too while shaking her head. “No. No. You have it all wrong, Chris.” She placed her hand on Chris’s cheek. “You, Christopher, are the embodiment of Love. Even as you keep your heart so guarded, it is your capacity to love unconditionally that bridges the connections that brought you to this point, that has saved your family.” 

Neena touched Joey’s cheek. “Joseph, you are the embodiment of Courage. Even as your magic and physical strength are weaker than your brothers, you do not allow that to hinder you as you do not hesitate to fight for justice. To protect those without power.” 

Neena touched Wyatt’s cheek. “And Wyatt, you are the embodiment of Wisdom. Even as you are the most powerful witch in this world yet you do not allow the power to control you. Even as it has taken some time, you’ve learned to use your powers wisely for the betterment of others.”

Wyatt chuckled. “I get that they’re just traits, but they make sense too. Thinking back, everything we’ve done, I see how those traits have guided us.” He looked at Neena. “But how does that help us fight Seth? How does having Courage, Wisdom, and Love help us fight someone who is insane, obsessed with power, and wants to kill his family…” Wyatt’s eyes widened. “Oh! Oh!”

Chris and Joey gasped too as it dawned on them. “Oh!”

Neena smiled. “You have your answer. Now, what you need now is a plan.”

Wyatt nodded. “And I think one. It’s a stupid plan, but it could work.”

*~*

After such a long day, Selena yawned as she became a tired mess. It didn’t take much for Wyatt to get Selena cleaned up and put down for bed. Wyatt stood over her crib. He felt positively exhausted from the battle at Neferica and the time that they spent planning, but he couldn’t see himself getting any sleep. 

Selena closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep as her sound machine played gentle sounds of crashing waves. 

Wyatt kissed Selena’s forehead. He remained unsure if he would get to spend another moment with her, but he would hope for the best. He left her bedroom and closed the door behind him when he saw Gordon waiting in the hallway. 

Gordon leaned against the wall. He stared at the floor unable to say much given how little he knew about magic or the true stakes of everything. All that he knew was the possibility that Wyatt might not survive the coming battle. 

“Hey.” Wyatt squeezed onto Gordon’s hands. “Come with me.” Gordon nodded as he followed Wyatt into his bedroom. Wyatt closed the door behind them so that they had a little more privacy. Wyatt had Gordon sit on the bed, while he went to the dresser. “I know that you’re scared. I am too.”

Gordon chuckled. He sounded almost hysterical as he felt himself starting to cry too. “You say that so casually. Even though you know you might die. And I’ll lose.”

“That’s part of the burden of being a Charmed One. It's a possibility.” Wyatt grabbed a small box from the dresser and stuffed it into his sleeve. He went over to Gordon, sitting beside him now. “But I’m not going anywhere. I promise. I’ll come back here to Selena. To you.”

Gordon closed his eyes and shook his head. “How can you even promise that? What makes you so sure?”

“I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t sure.” Wyatt dropped to one knee as he held out the box to Gordon just as Gordon opened his eyes again. Gordon gasped. Wyatt smiled and opened the box, revealing a silver ring with a ruby at the center. “Gordon Hu, will you marry me?”

Gordon’s jaw dropped. “You...you’re. You’re really doing this? Now?”

Wyatt nodded. “I wanted to wait until after I saved the world, but I figured that you needed the hope. And...so do I. When I face Seth, I want to have all the purpose in the world. I want to fight for my friends. My family. My daughter. And my future husband.” Wyatt smiled as he kept the box open. “That is if you want to be my husband.”

Gordon closed his eyes and cried a little more. He grinned as he slid off the bed to join Wyatt on the floor. “Yes. Wyatt Matthew Halliwell, I will marry you.”

Wyatt took the ring from the box and quickly slide it on Gordon’s finger. With excitement and hope, they began to kiss. They fell onto the bed, embracing the joy of their engagement and the future that they could share once the battle ended.

*~*

Meanwhile, in the basement, Joey sat on the floor. He had a blanket beneath him to make it somewhat comfortable as he meditated. His mind didn’t know any peace after the Angel of Destiny’s revelations and their new plan to face Seth, but he had to force himself to relax. His brothers needed him more now than ever before. They each had their parts to play, but he had a particularly important role. 

Joey took deep breaths. He chose to meditate in the basement with hopes of absorbing whatever traces remained of the Nexus. Even though his mom and aunts destroyed it decades ago, Joey figured he could pick up on whatever ambident energy lingered. 

As Joey continued his meditation, Carver stood on the washing machine. Carver stood there, perfectly still so not to disturb Joey’s concentration. He recovered from the injuries during the fight and while he wanted nothing more than to go home and get in bed with Joey, he had to think of the coming battle. So, as he feared the worst, Carver stayed close to enjoy every minute that he could have left with Joey.

Carver tugged on his wedding ring. He tried not to imagine a life without Joey, but the stakes of the battle proved quite significant. And knowing the plan, he couldn’t help but fear the worst.

Joey sighed once more. He had some tears running down his face as he finally managed to calm his mind enough. He looked up and saw Carver crying too. But Carver had the strong silent tears as he didn’t make any audible noise. 

“Wow.” Joey got up from the floor and walked over to Carver. He gently brushed the tears from Carver’s face. “I guess you’re really scared. You didn’t even cry this much during our wedding. And you cried a lot then.”

Carver tried to laugh but ended up crying more. He tried pulling his face away from Joey’s hands, but Joey wouldn’t let him go. “Well, maybe if you weren’t so pretty.” Carver frowned as he gently grabbed onto Joey’s wrists. He kept crying. “I don’t want you to go. I don’t want to lose you.”

Joey smiled. He leaned closer and kissed Carver. “You won’t lose me. I’ll be back before you even realize it.” Joey sniffled. He had more tears running down his face too as his fears started to creep into his mind. “My part scares me. They’re asking a lot of me and I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do it. But…if you and Wolfy can stay in perfect harmony then I can handle the power. All of it.”

Carver slid off the washing machine. He easily towered over Joey as he also pulled Joey closer to his chest before they shared another kiss. As they didn’t have much time left, Carver didn’t want to waste it with unhappy tears. “I have faith in you, Joey. You’ve already accomplished so much. This is just another check on your bucket list.” Carver hugged Joey tightly. “Don’t keep me waiting long to come back home.”

Keeping his smile, Joey rested his head against Carver’s face. “I promise.”

*~*

In the attic, Chris sat at the desk with the Book of Shadows laid in front of him. A pile of papers littered the floor. He created dozens of spells, but none could generate enough power to accomplish what they needed. If they would defeat Seth then Chris needed to create the most powerful spell conceivable. 

A spell stronger than anything that their family used before. The ultimate spell.

However, nothing in the Book of Shadows gave Chris the impression that such a spell was possible. The spell to summon their ancestors failed as did their stronger Power of Three spells. Chris couldn’t see any spell powerful enough that could even slow Seth down, much less vanquish him.

Chris ripped another sheet from the notebook. He tossed it with the other failed spells before scribbling away to make a new spell. “What rhymes with reality?”

“Try feathery or thirty.” Bianca walked into the attic. She kept her hands stuffed into her pockets as she approached Chris. She stepped onto one of the many sheets of paper. “I take it that writing the spell is going well.”

“Swimmingly.” Chris massaged his forehead. He slammed the pen onto the notebook before spinning around the stool to see Bianca. “None of the other spells worked so I don’t know why anything that I can create will work. I’m the Charmed One of Love, not Wisdom or Courage. And I’m not a writer. I’m一”

“Remarkable.” Bianca sat on Chris’s lap and kissed his cheek. It made Chris smile, distracting him a little from his previous failures. “You are as capable, if not more so than your brothers. Don’t forget that, Chris.” She ran her hand through his hair, tugging on it gently so that he’d look at her. “That’s why I fell in love with you.”

Chris chuckled. “And is that why you’re carrying my baby?”

Bianca clicked her tongue. “Our baby.” She kissed him again. “You can do this, Chris. Make your baby proud. And all your future babies too. Who knows. We might raise the next generation of Charmed Ones.”

Chris hugged Bianca while pressing his face against her chest. He didn’t make it sexual. He wanted to get closer because of the support she provided, which he desperately needed. “You might be onto something. Given that Joey’s gay and Wyatt is probably going to marry Gordon. We’re the only ones that can easily have kids.”

“More baby Halliwells.” Bianca chuckled. “Three generations of Charmed Ones back to back. A shame that you can’t use that magic. Imagine. Like nine Charmed Ones fighting Seth.”

As Chris started to laugh, Bianca’s words replayed themselves. He also recalled her earlier suggestion of thirty rhyming with reality. And with the plan that they already created, the idea of a spell formed in his head. 

Chris lifted Bianca into his arms as he jumped to his feet. Bianca wrapped herself around him as she didn’t know what happened but didn’t want to risk him dropping her. Chris screamed with joy. “That’s it! Babe! You’re a genius!” 

“Yes, I am!” Bianca kept her arms around Chris’s shoulders. “Now, put me down and explain why I’m a genius!”

“Sorry.” Chris placed Bianca on her feet. He kissed her again, while the excitement fluttered in his stomach. “But you figured it out! That’s what we’re missing! That’s the key to the spell. Even if we don’t have more kids, there are others that we can call upon. Yes! We need their powers too!” 

Bianca tried to question Chris, but he ignored her questions. And, now he had his undivided focus on scribbling out a new spell: the ultimate spell.

*~*

Back in the sunroom, golden sparks danced across Joey and Hank’s hands. Hank slipped his hand away as he backed up to everyone else. 

Hank patted Joey’s arm. “I hope it helps.”

Joey smirked. “I’m sure it will.”

The family and Neena gathered as they prepared for the final battle. As everyone crowded the sunroom, the fear of the coming battle loomed in the air. They knew what the brothers had planned, but worried that it might not be enough. They underestimated Seth far too many times that they couldn’t afford to do so again.

PJ brushed her hair back. “Are you sure about this plan? I think we should go with you.”

“Yeah!” said Paulina. “There’s safety in numbers.”

Wyatt shook his head. He grabbed Joey’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’re already with us. Right?”

“Right,” whispered Joey.

Chris slid the papers into his pocket. He sighed as he approached his brothers. “Let’s get this done. The sooner we vanquish Seth, the sooner I can come home and get ready to be a dad.”

Bianca chuckled. Her hand instinctively touched her belly. “Yeah. We get to deal with parenthood.”

Neena’s eyes shifted to Bianca. She could see a possible future, one where Seth failed, which would allow the brothers a happily ever after. She nodded. “You’ll have quite the handful with those two.”

“Two?” Chris and Bianca’s eyes lit up. “Two!”

Carver turned to Piper and Leo. “Start saving your pennies now because you’re getting two more grandkids to spoil rotten.”

Under different circumstances, the news of Chris and Bianca having twins would’ve received their undivided attention. However, the situation required that they focus on Seth first before he could do any additional harm to the world.

Even Brody wanted to celebrate the good news, but a sharp ringing distracted him. He grabbed onto his forehead as Wyatt, Chris, Paige, and Tamora also suffered from a similar ringing. Brody nearly fell to his knees when Henry caught him. “The Elders!” Brody listened to the screaming. “Oh, gods! Seth found a way to the Heavens! He’s attacking the Elders.”

“Shit!” said Henry.

“But how?” said Tamora. “Seth can’t orb.”

Glynnis shrugged. “Evil bastards always find a way.”

Paige shook her head. She couldn’t process the ringing quite as clearly as Brody could. “It doesn’t matter.” She turned to the brothers. “It looks like you need to act now. Before Seth kills every Elder.”

The brothers nodded. They already had a plan to send themselves to Seth, but now they needed to act faster. Rather than relying on orbing, the brothers had decided to use a spell. They wanted to make themselves undetectable to Seth so that they could get the jump on him. 

The brothers joined hands with everyone gathering around them.

Kyra started to back away when Coop took her hand with Billie standing next to him. Kyra gasped. “But...I’m not a witch. Or family.”

Coop smirked. “You are now.”

Billie nodded. “You don’t need to be blood to be part of this family. Speaking from experience.” 

Kyra grinned as she joined everyone. 

Leo and Piper hugged their sons. As did everyone else as they didn’t know if they could expect the brothers to return in one piece.

“Be careful,” said Leo as he squeezed Joey’s hand.

“Don’t give up on each other,” said Piper as she wiped her lipstick from Chris’s cheek.

Gordon kissed Wyatt once more. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Good luck, boys,” said Victor.

Neena nodded. “The rest is up to you.”

Swirls of light descended from the ceiling. Prue appeared as she too joined everyone else, surprising no one as they expected ghostly help.

Prue held Piper’s hand and Paige’s arm. “The matriarchs are watching and ready to help. They’ll get you to Seth, but the rest is up to you,” said Prue. “And...Phoebe told me to pass a message. She said, kick Seth’s ass.” 

Tears trickled down their faces as they wished Phoebe was still with them but appreciated knowing that she would do what she could to help. 

Everyone gathered closer, including Neena, while the brothers held hands. They took a deep breath, ready for whatever might happen next as they recited the “To Call a Lost Witch” spell.

“ _Powers of the witches rise!_ ” said the brothers. “ _Course unseen across the skies. Come to us who call you near. Come to us and settle here. Blood to blood, I summon thee. Blood to blood, return to me._ ”

White orbs swallowed the brothers and they ascended to the Heavens where Seth awaited them.

*~*

The white and gold halls of the Elders’ temple turned into a warzone. Dozens of Elders laid dead on the floors, while others attempted to flee or stood their ground. Burn marks and bloodstains dirtied the walls and floors. Lightning crackled across the temple as did fireballs.

The temple hadn’t seen an assault of this severity since the Titans’ attack.

A marble column collapsed as a pale-skinned Elder crashed into it. She exploded into dozens of light-blue orbs with her screams echoing for a second. The column shattered in half as it hit the ground, exposing Kevin who hid behind the column. Kevin screamed as he saw a dark-skinned Elder get hit with a fireball. 

Seth moved across the Heavens uninhibited. Nobody could do a damn thing to stop him as he proved superior to the Elders’ magic. He shoved his fist into a red-headed Elder’s chest, ripping his heart out before crushing it. Then, Seth tossed a fireball, instantly killing another Elder.

“First, the Elders will die!” Seth sidestepped as an older Elder threw lightning at him. “Then, I will kill the Angels of Destiny! And, the Grand Design will fall to me! I will rule everything!”

“You rule nothing, brat!” shouted the Elder, Odin. 

As the Elders continued their fight, Sandra rushed to Kevin. She began to push him away from the fighting. “At least one of us needs to survive,” she whispered. “Stay hidden until it’s safe enough to flee. Go!”

Kevin started to make a run for it. However, Seth caught a glimpse of Kevin and threw a fireball at him. Before the fireball could hit Kevin, Sandra intercepted the attack. She threw her body to shield Kevin, allowing herself to die. 

“No!” screamed Kevin. “Sandra!”

White orbs gathered as the brothers finally reached the Heavens. The brothers noticed the destruction and the carnage that befell the Heavens, which turned out far worse than they originally expected. However, they didn’t waste another second. They needed to immediately act.

The brothers turned to Seth as they recited the same spell that Neena used against him. “ _Ligare veneficus. Daemon ligare. Ut usque eo!_ ”

Once more, golden chains manifested to bind Seth in place. Seth growled as he tried to break free of the chains. Steam rose from Seth’s body and the chains appeared to slowly fade. The power that he collected proved powerful enough to resist the spell, but it would take some time to undo the spell.

Chris turned to the Elders. “Quick! Help us keep Seth bound so that we can vanquish him!”

The surviving Elders didn’t hesitate. They raised their hands with light-blue orbs appearing across their palms. The orbs harmonized with the golden chains, reinforcing the brothers’ spell to slow Seth’s progress. Seth screamed from his frustration, annoyed that anyone would dare to stop him from claiming his ultimate victory.

“How dare you!” shouted Seth. “I am the Source now! I have all the power! You cannot defy me!”

Joey huffed. “You’re nothing, dear cousin.”

Wyatt nodded. “But if you want the power. Let us help you get all the power.”

The brothers circled Seth. Even with the Elders’ assistance, the golden chains continue to break with Seth slowly wiggling free. Chris and Joey grabbed Seth’s hands as they prepared to launch their plan into action.

Odin raised his eyebrows. He kept his hands raised, unleashing more magic to keep Seth bound. “Boys! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Ending this!” said Wyatt. “Now!” Chris and Joey nodded.

They began to recite the spell to transport them to the Nexus of the All.

“ _By blood, we open the door. By blood, we reveal the path. Unlock the hidden shore. Away from cosmic wrath. Take us now to the Nexus of the All!_ ” Wyatt, Chris, and Joey’s eyes turned pure white. The last of the chains shattered from Seth’s body, but the brothers kept a firm grip on him. The spell itself began to bind Seth in place as the path to the Nexus of the All opened.

Seth grinned as he didn’t dare resist this spell as claiming the All’s power spoke to his heart’s truest desire. 

The brothers continued their chanting. “ _Nos veneficas ad nos nexus de omnibus. Nos veneficas ad nos nexus de omnibus. Nos veneficas ad nos nexus de omnibus!_ ”

A triquetra appeared beneath them. Odin and the other Elders yelled at the brothers to stop their spell, but they proved too late. The portal opened. The path to the Nexus of the All opened. The portal swallowed the brothers and Seth, transporting them to the heart of all reality where the fate of the universe hung at the balance.

*~*

Raw magical energy flowed from the Nexus of the All as the brothers and Seth arrived at its domain. They stood in the starry cosmic expanse that appeared to stretch out eternally with the white and black transparent tiles being the illusion of a proper floor. The memory of their previous battle at the All replayed before them, but a completely different set of circumstances brought them here this time. 

As they teleported to the All, the brothers separated from Seth. Seth stood before the infinite space with his eyes wide and a smile spread across his face. “Why bring me here?” asked Seth. “You know that I coveted the Nexus of the All’s power. You know that I’d fight to claim it.”

“We do.” Wyatt clenched his fist. Golden light arose from his fists, while Chris and Joey generated their magic too. Lightning danced across Chris’s fingers and scarlet energy glowed across Joey’s hands. “But we’re tied to its power too. That’s why we brought you here. No one else will get in our way. This is a fight to the death.”

Chris nodded. “Either we win or you do. No more of this dancing around.”

Joey smirked. “Just know that we have no intention of losing.”

Seth chuckled. He manifested a fireball that instantly grew twice in size. “Good. As much as I hate you, I want to kill you at your best! To prove that I am the true ultimate power!” He threw his fireball. Wyatt stomped his foot and projected his force field that easily neutralized the attack. Seth huffed. As his magic grew from their proximity to the All so did the brothers’ magic. They would fight on even ground, which made it all the more interesting. 

Seth didn’t waste another second as he made his move. He launched himself after the brothers, getting between them so that they didn’t dare unleash their full power at once without risking their safety. Seth had no such fear as he fought alone. He released a blast of crimson energy that blew Chris across the space before kicking Joey in the chest. As Joey fell, Wyatt went after Seth. Wyatt projected an energy sword from his hand that he swung for Seth’s head, but Seth conjured a wall of fire as a shield.

Sparks scattered everywhere. Wyatt’s energy sword exploded, prompting him to stumble back from the whiplash. Seth moved fast and encased his fist in green energy that he used to punch Wyatt, sending Wyatt sailing backward. 

“Is that the best you have, Charmed Ones?” said Seth. “I’m disappointed. Not even the All made you any stronger!” Seth would come to regret those words. Raw telekinetic energy began to slam against him, hitting him harder than any punches. He stumbled then fell to one knee when he saw who dared to strike him.

Chris furiously swung his arms. His telekinesis magnified from the All, he began a painful assault to keep Seth unable to recover. The constant barrage of telekinetic hits pushed Seth to the ground then hurled him into the air before slamming him back down. Then, Chris ignited his arms with lightning. He unleashed a mighty barrage of lightning that struck Seth, striking Seth as hard as the lightning attack he used against them.

Seth howled as the lightning lifted him into the air. Despite the pain, Seth would fight back. He flexed his muscles and gathered more magic. He manipulated the energy from Chris’s lightning to create a focused blast of crimson energy to shoot Chris. The energy exploded in front of Chris, sending him sailing back.

However, Seth wouldn’t know any peace. As soon as his feet touched the floor, Seth could detect a greater culmination of magic. He looked up to see a scarlet meteor made from pure energy. Joey floated in the air with a smile. Joey launched his energy meteor onto Seth, crushing Seth half to death.

The meteor burned as much as Chris’s lightning and weighed a ton. Seth buckled down to his knees as he fought against the meteor’s weight. With Seth distracted, Joey landed on the ground. His eyes glowing from the scarlet energy that he harnessed as he unleashed a mighty blast onto Seth. The meteor exploded too, which sent Seth flying across the All. 

Seth slammed his hands to the ground, keeping himself from getting too lost. He growled at the top of his lungs and unleashed a mighty shockwave. The shockwave blasted Joey, sending him sailing back towards Chris. 

“Better!” Seth got back on his feet. “Now, I’m finally seeing a real challenge!”

Light-blue orbs gathered near Seth as Wyatt appeared. Wyatt punched Seth, his fist ignited in golden energy. When Wyatt punched Seth, an explosion went off as Wyatt channeled a combustive blast into his punch. While Seth’s face remained intact, he showed signs of slowing down.

Wyatt took advantage of that as he created his force field. However, he reshaped it into a miniature sphere. “You should’ve kept your mouth shut.” Wyatt launched the miniature force field like a cannonball, knocking Seth several yards back. From there, Wyatt surrounded himself in orbs to chase after Seth to keep the fight going.

Meanwhile, Chris and Joey started to stir as they recovered from Seth’s attacks.

Chris held his hands out to Joey. “We don’t have much time. Time to start the next phase.”

Joey nodded. He grabbed Chris’s hand with golden light rising from their touch. “Gotta keep it together. Wish me luck.”

Deeper into the All, the fight continued. Seth recovered and chased after Wyatt. They began to fly across the All as they threw a barrage of punches after each other. They got a few blows, but neither one showed any signs of surrendering.

Wyatt knocked Seth in the chest, but Seth only laughed. Seth conjured a fireball and smashed it into Wyatt’s chest, sending Wyatt crashing to the ground.

The victory was short-lived. As Seth touched the ground and conjured another fireball to kill Wyatt, the fireball got surrounded by light-blue orbs. Seth raised his eyebrows when he turned to see Joey standing nearby. Joey orbed the fireball towards him before launching it back at Seth, blasting Seth across the face. 

Smoke arose from Seth’s face with him feeling the burning sting. Seth tried to make his move on Joey when a cold wind blew across his feet. Seth looked at his feet to see that they were encased in ice and that Joey projected the cold wind. Before Seth could process what happened, Joey shocked Seth with blue lightning. Then, Joey blasted Seth’s frozen feet with a combustive blast and knocked him back with a telekinetic shove. 

Seth landed on his back, his body aching from the assault. 

Joey went over to Wyatt and helped to get Wyatt back on his feet. Joey squeezed onto Wyatt’s hand, the golden light arising between them. “Tag! You’re it.”

Wyatt smiled. “I know. You and Chris get into position.” He slipped free from Joey’s grip so that they could move onto the next phase. Joey ran over to get Chris, while Wyatt approached Seth.

Seth levitated back to his feet. He groaned from the pain of the previous assaults that injured someone even as powerful as him. “How! How did Joseph do that? Our family isn’t here and he can’t store that many powers!”

“Normally, yes.” Wyatt shrugged as he held his hand. Joey’s scarlet energy surrounded Wyatt’s hands as Wyatt’s eyes flashed gold for a second. “However, Billie and I used our projection powers to temporarily advance Joey’s powers. He borrowed magic from our cousins, your sisters, and Chris. Then, I used my projection powers to transfer the power to me.” Wyatt sprang forward and struck Seth across the face with his scarlet energy encased fist. But Wyatt didn’t use only Joey’s active power. He amplified Joey’s energy manipulation with everyone else’s active powers too. 

The magnification of energy should’ve snapped Seth’s neck if he didn’t have the protection of the Source of All Evil, the Tribunal, and the Cleaners’ magic. Seth felt the force and knew that he should’ve died. 

Seth narrowly survived the hit, but it sent him flying into the All’s void. Seth’s vision blurred and he almost felt like every bone in his body shattered from the direct hit. “No!” Seth floated in the air. He looked down to see Wyatt chasing after him. “No! The power!” Seth’s eyes turned pitch black with flames appearing around him. “That power will be mine!”

Wyatt smirked. He didn’t strike Seth again. Instead, he grabbed Seth’s hands. “If you want them. Then you can have them!” Golden light arose from Wyatt’s body and slowly began to enter Seth’s body. Seth appeared confused as to why Wyatt would perform such an act. However, Seth didn’t bother to ask questions.

The magic of their generation of Halliwell witches entered Seth’s body. Seth gasped as he could feel their collective might and knew a power that he hadn’t felt even after absorbing the Hellfire Club’s powers. 

Seth chuckled. “It’s...Amazing!”

An explosion of golden light erupted between them. Wyatt crashed to the ground, but Chris and Joey caught him before he got any serious injuries. And Seth remained floating in the air.

Seth continued to laugh. He tilted his head forward and stared at the brothers. A mouthful of saliva poured from his mouth, while black blood began to come from his eyes like tears. “It’s not enough! I need more! I need more power!” Seth ignored the brothers as they had nothing more to offer them. He set his sights onto the All itself as he could sense the All’s infinite energies. “Yes! I will not fail this time. The Nexus of All will belong to me! I will become GOD!”

Threads of black energy rippled out from Seth’s body. The threads touched the infinite expanse with them glowing with purplish-pink energy being absorbed into them. It became a sign that Seth started absorbing power from the All, taking the energy of the multiverse into himself. 

“This is what I want!” Seth licked his lips. His skin began to crack everywhere with more black blood pouring out. “Infinity! The power over all existence. Every universe! Every soul! Everything will bow before me!”

Seth’s cackling echoed across the All as he continued to steal the power for himself.

On the ground, the brothers knew what would happen if Seth could maintain the energy. However, they also knew that Seth signed his death sentence. They quickly examined the spell that Chris created, committing it to memory as they had their one opportunity to truly vanquish Seth.

They gathered in a circle and took a deep breath.

Wyatt crossed his arms across his chest. “Seth! You have no means of controlling this power for you have no wisdom! You have nothing to guide you. No principles. The power you seek will consume you! Leading to your death!”

Chris nodded and crossed his arms across his chest. “Seth! Your obsession with power. Your pride! It proves that you have no heart or any capacity to love! You have nothing and no one to share that power with. That is why you will fall!”

Joey crossed his arms across his chest. “Seth! Your desires for power for power’s sake show a lack of purpose. You sacrifice everyone without any hesitation, which proves you lack courage! You are a coward!”

The brothers joined hands, while Seth ignored them and continued to absorb the All’s power.

“ _Brother of Wisdom!_ ” shouted Wyatt.

“ _Brother of Love!_ ” shouted Chris.

“ _Brother of Courage!_ ” shouted Joey. 

“ _We are the Charmed Ones!_ ” Golden light arose beneath the brothers’ feet and the triquetra began to manifest beneath them. “ _We call upon the elements of three! Stretched across reality! Here in this sacred place! We invoke Creation’s warm embrace!_ ”

Seth laughed maniacally. He heard the echoes of their spell, but he didn’t care. Not when he could feel the Nexus of the All’s powers entering his body. He would save all the power in the multiverse necessary to destroy the brothers.

However, the brothers would derail that plan as their spell didn’t rely only on them or the Power of Three as Seth encountered it before.

The brothers continued to recite the spell while maintaining their circle and invoking upon their connection. “ _We summon you here, Charmed Ones, across time and space! Help us now to vanquish this evil disgrace!_ ” 

The brothers looked up to the starry expanse. The twinkling lights above them retained their warmth, but they could also feel the All’s powers becoming warped. They needed to finish their spell quickly or else Seth would steal too much power from the All. 

“ _Stand against this evil of disunion!_ ” chanted the brothers. “ _Break this evil with our union!_ ”

A column of light ascended from the brothers’ circle. It showed into the All and radiated with the intensity of a sun. The brothers maintained their grip, pouring every ounce of themselves into this spell. They prayed with all their might that those connected to the Power of Three in any and every universe would hear their cries. They prayed that these other Charmed Ones would stand at their side. 

More black threads began to erupt from Seth’s body as he stole more of the All’s power. His laughter grew louder. His hearing sharpened, allowing him to hear the echoes of their spell. “Pathetic!” Seth grinned. “You think anyone will help you? And even if they did, it isn’t enough to save you! I am Master of the Nexus of the All! There is nothing you can do to defeat me!”

Pure silence greeted the brothers. Their hearts sank as the column of light began to diminish. Its radiance vanished to a mere spark as they feared that their spell failed. 

Seth retracted the threads into himself. He floated to the ground and glared at the brothers. “See? You failed!” Seth raised his hand. “Now! Dear cousins! I will give you a fate worse than death. There is no afterlife for you. No Heaven. No Hell. Only the void with you!”

As Seth prepared to unleash the All’s magic against the brothers, a transparent triquetra appeared nearby. The triquetra’s light distracted Seth as he sensed a foreign power nearby. The brothers gasped as the power wasn’t foreign to them. The power radiated a connection to the Power of Three, which restored the brothers’ faith.

The transparent triquetra acted as a window to another universe. And from it, a trio of familiar faces stepped closer. Macy Vaughn, Mel Vera, and Maggie Vera stood within the triquetra with their hands radiating a golden light. 

“Did you call for help?” asked Macy.

“Sorry it took so long to get here!” said Mel.

“Yeah, but we brought some friends with us!” said Maggie. 

In seconds, thousands of transparent triquetras began to manifest across the Nexus of the All. Wyatt, Chris, Joey, and even Seth gasped as they saw these windows to other universes. From within these triquetras, a trio of faces looked back at them. 

One showed two sisters and a brother. Another showed a mother, father, and son. They saw one where a mother, her son, and her daughter stood together. Two brothers and a sister stood together in another. One even had a girl with her two aunts. They saw combinations upon combinations that felt almost as infinite as the multiverse itself.

The Charmed Ones from every corner of reality appeared, heeding the call of the Halliwell brothers.

Chris had tears pouring from his face. “My spell worked! They heard us!”

Joey chuckled from the joy of seeing their faces. “Charmed Ones! From every universe!”

Wyatt nodded as he squeezed Chris and Joey’s hands. “Let’s make it count! We vanquish Seth together!”

“Together!” shouted the Charmed Ones of every universe. 

Seth’s eyes widened. Golden light arose from every triquetra and the brothers too manifested a triquetra. The light grew brighter with a power greater than anything Seth could comprehend began to approach him.

“No!” Seth unleashed a wave of crimson energy from his body. The crimson energy created a barrier that kept the golden light from getting any closer. “No! I will not fall like this! I am God! This power! I’m infinite! I’m eternal! I will not die at the hands of Charmed Ones!”

“You already lost, Seth!” shouted Wyatt. “Your evil cannot stand against our hearts! Against Wisdom! Love! Courage! You are no God. And you are not worthy of calling yourself the Twice-Blessed Child!”

The light of the Charmed Ones broke through Seth’s barrier. Seth continued to scream as the light began to pierce his body. The power that Seth collected began to seep out of him, including that of the Nexus of the All.

With every soul worthy of wielding the Power of Three present, the Nexus of the All responded. The All began to lash out as Seth too, creating a devastating explosion with shockwaves that could be felt across the multiverse. 

Seth screamed in eternal agony as his body faded into atoms, leaving nothing behind of him or the Source of All Evil’s essence. 

Meanwhile, the destructive blast caused the triquetras to vanish. The Charmed Ones of the other universes vanished, returning to their homes as they were no longer needed to save this one universe. However, the destructive blast continued to expand. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey hugged each other as they felt the blast coming after them. 

Within seconds, nothing remained. 

The Nexus of the All returned as an infinite starry expanse. 

The explosion left no trace of Wyatt, Chris, or Joey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gasp! What happened to the brothers? Well, you'll have to wait until next week for the final chapter of Charmed: Generation Z!!!!


	45. A Charming Farewell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm a little sad to see this story end. I had a blast writing it and I'm so glad that I finally committed to put this story to paper...computer...after leaving it my head for so many years. And I'm glad that so many of you stuck with me until the end and enjoyed the story, and left your kudos and comments. I really appreciate it.
> 
> So I made a decision that I will write some one-shot stories for this Charmed story. I'm going to post it into one story that way you don't have to go searching for every single story. I'll call it "Charmed: Generation Z - The Lost Stories." Because they'll be one-shots, you don't need to worry about waiting for it to be complete because it'll be random stories that I put together whenever inspiration strikes. There isn't going to be a big narrative like with this story so you can jump in and out whenever you want.
> 
> Now! Onto the finale! Which I hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Love, Michael

In an endless void, the souls of the Halliwell brothers hung on the balance. Wyatt, Chris, and Joey fell into a deep slumber as they slowly faded out from existence. 

The spell saved their universe and the Nexus of the All from certain destruction, but it came with a price. Invoking the power of the Charmed Ones from other universes is what forced Seth to face his death and destroyed the Source of All Evil’s essence, however, it also cost the brothers’ their lives. 

Nothingness greeted them and not even the Angel of Death could track them in this space. They would eventually fade away, leaving nothing but the memories of them behind. 

However, someone did know what happened to the brothers. And to spare the brothers from oblivion, the entity sent a trio of souls could find the brothers. Souls that shared a deep enough connection that could guide the brothers back to the realm of the living.

In a sea of darkness, three lights emerged to find the brothers’ souls. While in soul form, the brothers retained an image of their physical forms but those too began to fade. Luckily, the lights found the brothers and provided them with the warmth that they needed to attain awareness of their surroundings. 

Wyatt, Chris, and Joey opened their eyes. They found themselves sinking into the darkness but remained unaware of the three lights glimmering before them.

“What?” Wyatt shook his head. “What is going on? What happened?”

Chris stared at his hand. He noticed parts of his hand fading out before it reformed itself. “The last thing I remember is vanquishing Seth. Then...the explosion. We got caught in it. So this is...oblivion? Purgatory?”

Joey sighed. “I guess when you die at the Nexus, you don’t get to go to the good place or the bad place. Looks like we’re stuck here forever.” He shrugged. “Well, at least I’m stuck here with you guys.”

Wyatt smirked. “Maybe this is Hell. Being stuck with you two for eternity sounds like the ultimate punishment.” He turned to Chris and Joey. “Oh well. Not like we can do anything about it.” Chris and Joey laughed at Wyatt’s pathetic joke. They closed their eyes, preparing to embrace their end.

“Don’t give up yet. This isn’t the end.”

The three lights grew brighter, forcing the brothers to noticed their presence. The lights circled the brothers before stopping in front of them. A flash of magic rippled from the lights as they shifted to take a proper form.

The brothers gasped. The souls sent to find them belonged to Phoebe, Veronica, and Mark. 

Mark ran his hand across Joey’s chest. His fingers grazed against the Green Lantern necklace that Joey gave him when they still dated. “I could feel your light when we first met. Even though I knew nothing about magic, I knew you would do incredible things. Now, look at you. What you’ve accomplished.”

Joey sniffled. He reached for Mark’s hand, his wedding rings becoming more visible. “Thank you for all your help. For putting yourself out there to warn us of the Hellfire Club. Of Seth.”

Mark nodded. “I had to do something to redeem myself after all the grief that I caused you.”

Meanwhile, Veronica floated to Wyatt and gently kissed him. Tears trickled down Wyatt’s face, bringing a smile to Veronica’s face. “You’ve done good, Wyatt. Selena is so happy.” She chuckled. “And now she’ll have Gordon watching out for her too.”

Wyatt’s gently squeezed Veronica’s hands. “Vero. There’s...there’s so much.”

Veronica slipped a hand free and placed it over Wyatt’s lips. “Everything is good. You’re doing a great job. You have my blessing. Not that you and Gordon need it.”

Across from them, Phoebe hugged Chris harder than she ever hugged him before. “I’m so proud of you, guys. As weird as it is to say. You fixed my greatest mistake. You saved the world from Seth.”

Chris hugged Phoebe closely. He feared letting her go since he knew that he likely wouldn’t see her again. “Don’t blame yourself for Seth. That little shit kept choosing evil. He dug himself into that hole.”

“No. He chose evil, but he is still my fault. He only exists because I so blindly followed Cole. Had I listened to my sisters sooner then none of this would’ve needed to happen.” Phoebe held Chris’s hand while she turned to Wyatt and Joey. “And you almost paid the price for my sins with your lives.”

“We’re not dead?” asked Chris.

Veronica shook her head. “Not yet. That’s why we’re here.”

Mark nodded. “Our job is to guide you back home. So that you get your chance at happily ever after.” He grabbed Joey’s hand. Light wrapped around them as Mark guided them through the darkness. Veronica and Phoebe did the same with Wyatt and Chris. 

Light trailed behind them as they surge through the void. 

Eventually, a glimmering light manifested and slowly reshaped itself into the form of a triquetra.

Phoebe kept looking forward with a smile on her face. “Share my love with everyone. And tell Coop and the girls that I wish them a lifetime of happiness.”

“But we can bring you back!” said Joey.

Wyatt nodded. “Like we did with Kyra! We can do the same for you!”

Phoebe shook her head. “The world doesn’t need me anymore. I’ve done my part. It’s my time to rest in peace. So please, pass the message to my family.”

The brothers swallowed their tears. They promised to share Phoebe’s message as they crashed into the triquetra. Reality began to shift around them. The brothers could feel oxygen filling their lungs, while they noticed Phoebe, Veronica, and Mark slowly vanishing as they returned to the Afterlife. 

Golden sparks danced across the brothers’ faces. Their lives restored and the future waiting for them.

*~*

Magic rippled with the brothers returning to the Nexus of the All. They floated into the infinite expanse of the All, landing on the transparent checkered patterned floor. 

The memories of the events that transpired began to bombard the brothers’ heads. It left them a headache as they tried to figure out what they would need to do next or why they landed at the All instead of back home. They would have their questions answered soon enough when a flash of green light manifested with Neena appearing now. 

Neena slowly began to approach the brothers. “It looks like you found your way back. I’m glad that you didn’t become lost souls.”

Wyatt smirked. “I take it that you’re the one who sent Veronica and the others to us.”

Neena shook her head. “That wasn’t me.” She unfolded her arms. She began to point everywhere with the brothers squinting their eyes in confusion. “The Nexus of the All is what summoned them to bring you back. The All wanted to repay you for your sacrifices and save your lives before it was too late.”

Chris looked around them. They could sense the incomprehensible energy of the All, which left a numbing burn against their skin. “Looks like there are some higher powers out there willing to help us. You and the All are far better than the Angels of Destiny.”

Joey chuckled. “What now? Seth is really gone. Right? We don’t have to look over our shoulders for anyone except for maybe Barbas or some other demon trying to make a name for themselves?”

Neena shrugged. “As far as the All is concerned, your fulfilled your destinies. Whatever happens next is good and evil starting a new conflict in the name of the same war.”

“That sucks,” said Wyatt, “but...we’ll deal with it when it comes. We defeated Seth and the Hellfire Club. Nothing can stop us!”

“And nothing likely ever will. But don’t let your guard down.”

A deep voice echoed across the All. The brothers spun around, while Neena narrowed her gaze. They spotted Cole standing nearby with Seth in his arms. The brothers nearly sprang to action but Neena and Cole stopped them. 

Cole closed his eyes. He shifted Seth’s weight, pulling Seth closer against his chest. As the brothers watched Cole, they noticed shadows shuffling around Cole and Seth. “Evil always finds its way back. Just ask your mom and Paige.” Cole turned to Seth. “At least you’ll never need to worry about this one again. He is coming with me.”

Joey took a few steps closer. His eyes focused on the shadows as they hummed with energy that reminded him of the Angel of Death. “To the Cosmic Void? And you’re taking Seth’s soul with you?”

Chris clenched his fist. Blue lightning crackled against his skin as he kept a close watch on Cole and Seth, knowing better than to blindly believe Cole’s words. “And you’ll stay there for eternity? This isn’t your way of making a comeback with Seth’s magic?”

“No tricks.” Cole looked at Seth who had his eyes closed. The freshness of Seth’s death kept his soul in a deep slumber until it reached a proper resting place. “It is time that I take some responsibility for my mistakes. I hoped that if Seth found you...if he relinquished evil then he could have a good life with his family. But he never wanted that. Like me, he was too consumed with evil to ever change. Now, he gets to suffer eternity with me. Aware but never truly knowing freedom or peace.” Cole huffed. “He’ll hate it.”

Wyatt smirked. “He deserves every bit of suffering after everything he did.”

Cole nodded. “Have a good life, boys. That’s what you deserve.” The shadows expanded. The shadows swallowed Cole and Seth, pulling their souls back into the Cosmic Void where they would remain. 

The shadows vanished, leaving nothing behind except a memory of loss and evil.

Joey sighed and tilted his head back. “At least that’s done! No more Seth! No more Hellfire Club! We’re the champions!”

Chris chuckled as he folded his arms behind his back. “I guess that means we can focus on the next stages of our lives. And I get to figure out how in the hell I’m going to raise twins!”

Wyatt smiled. “And I get to plan my wedding.”

Joey and Chris gasped. “You’re getting married!”

Before Wyatt could go into more detail, Neena approached them. Neena extended her hands out to them. “There is some work you need to finish first.” Neena glanced at them. Her kind eyes giving them a clue that they had nothing to fear in taking her hands. Chris and Joey held her hands while they also held hands with Wyatt. “Seth and the Hellfire Club left numerous scars on our world. It’ll take ages for them to heal and the consequences could prove disastrous for the magical community. But here at the All, it is possible to spare the world from such a cruel fate. And after what you endured, I can’t think of anyone else who is worthy enough of the All’s power.”

The brothers smiled. They asked Neena more on what they needed to fix, while the Nexus of the All’s infinite energies began to coursed throughout their bodies. Their eyes turning pure white as they began healing their world. 

*~*

Days passed and the world changed once again. The brothers did their best to set things right while at the Nexus of the All, but it wasn’t enough. Going forward, things needed to change and the magical community needed to get more closely involved with the world. 

Erotia became a little more crowded as a result. In a new ballroom, the brothers brought those willing to help them shape the world for the better. Not many people gathered, but it didn’t bother the brothers since they still had plenty of time before the meeting started as they knew some of their guests would likely make a fashionably late entrance.

Kyra, Kama, Glynnis, Rusin, Marco, the Leprechaun Riley, Satyr Mar, the Ogre Ekta stood amongst the early arrivals. A handful of other unfamiliar faces gathered too as representatives of their communities and interests. 

Apollo sauntered across the room, dressed in a flimsy robe that barely constituted an outfit. Apollo locked arms with Wyatt since Apollo didn’t dare to violate the sanctity of Chris and Joey’s marriages. “You’ve gathered quite the interesting crew. Do you really think this new Magic Council will really do any good?” He batted his eyelash at Wyatt, enjoying making Wyatt squirm since Wyatt wasn’t a married man yet.

Wyatt blushed since his submissive tendencies flared up from Apollo’s flirting. As Wyatt’s face got a little redder, Chris and Joey chuckled at Wyatt’s sheepishness. “Well, we don’t know yet. But we’re keeping the faith alive.” Wyatt cleared his throat. “Still, something needs to get done. The Tribunal and Cleaners are gone, the Elders are still recovering from Seth’s attack, and we’d rather not remain slaves to the Angels of Destiny.”

Chris nodded. He watched as many of the people gathered took seats at the table, making themselves comfortable before the meeting began. “We healed the world, but it’ll take more work to save it. We allowed humanity to retain their memories of magic even though we erased everything since the attack on Golden Gate Bridge.”

“That peace is delicate,” said Joey. “So it’s the Council’s job to protect it and make sure we hear each other’s concerns, so we take the heat off Henrick. You’ve done such good work at Erotia. Gathering humans and magical beings here so that they’re safe. It’s time we move that model onto a grander scale.” Joey sauntered over to Apollo, bumping hips with him. 

Apollo slid his hand from Wyatt, calming Wyatt’s growing arousal so that Apollo could wrap his arm around Joey’s shoulder. “Happy to serve as some inspiration. Make I should add God of Muses to my resume.”

“No you won’t, Lord Apollo,” said a Muse in a shimmering, white-blue dress. Apollo blew the Muse a kiss before taking a seat at a table.

Left alone, the brothers rolled their eyes. They feared that they would have some trouble keeping this motley crew of a council in line. Before they could call for the meeting to begin, more honored guests appeared. 

A swirl of light-blue orbs descended with Brody joining them. He stood in a set of white and gold robes. Near Brody, a pair of shadows faded into view. Two men in black suits with similar goatees also made their appearance for the Council. The older man had pale-skinned and slick backed gray and black hair, while the younger man had light-brown skin and black hair. Their presence surprised the brothers as they didn’t expect the Avatars to take their offer seriously.

Wyatt smiled. “Alpha. Gamma. It is good to see you. We started to worry that you ignored the message our father sent.”

The older Avatar, Alpha, chuckled. He walked with Gamma following closely. “We had considered it, but given all that you and your brothers accomplished, we recognize how foolish of a choice that would be. You remade the world. You’ve offered the world a chance at true peace, setting the stage for the Utopia that we’ve always envisioned. Only fools wouldn’t take a seat at that table to steer things along.”

The younger Avatar, Gamma, nodded. “That is why I shall serve as the Avatars’ representative on the Council. I look forward to working more closely with you, Charmed Ones.”

“As do we, Gamma,” said Chris. “Please take a seat. We’ll begin the meeting shortly.” Gamma nodded, while Alpha wished them luck. Alpha faded, returning to the other Avatars.

Meanwhile, Joey structured over to Brody, poking him in the gut. “Looking good, Brody! Or should I say, Elder Brody?”

Brody chuckled. “You can still call me Brody, Joey. Even if I’m an Elder, I’ll still think of you as one of my Charges just like I hope you still think of me as your Whitelighter.”

“Good!” said Wyatt as he walked over with Chris. “Because we plan on talking so much shit about you! Like how the Elders are so desperate to bring their numbers back up that they’d make you an Elder.”

Chris punched Wyatt’s arm. “Be nice to the man. He’s done a good job at keeping us alive all these years. He deserves the promotion.”

Joey nodded. “And he’s our inside man with the Elders. They’re still not that happy about us taking Seth to the Nexus of the All even though we saved the fucking universe.” 

“Nor are they very happy with your paternal plans.” Brody shook his head. He soon smiled at Wyatt and Joey. “However, I and a few others wish you luck whenever you decide to take Neena up on the offer to create children for you. Might I suggest that you wait until after Bianca has the twins so that you don’t steal Chris’s thunder?”

Wyatt and Joey chuckled, while Chris muttered a “thank you” to Brody as Brody left to take a seat. 

Chris patted Wyatt and Joey’s backs. “So...when are you going to cash in Neena’s offer? Not that she put a time limit on the baby thing. But you still want to be young enough to raise your kids.”

After they fixed reality, Neena gave Wyatt and Joey a shocking offer. She offered to make a child for each of them that was biologically theirs. She would act as the surrogate, while she used Wyatt and Gordon’s DNA to make a child, and do the same with Joey and Carver. She wanted to ensure that their bloodline could safely continue, even as she could only promise one child each without putting too great of a strain on the cosmic balance.

“Not until after the wedding,” said Wyatt, “and after Selena starts Pre-K. Gordon and I are not ready for another kid.”

“Same!” Joey started leading them to their table. “Carver and I want to move out of our place first, and I still have a book to finish, and Carver only just started his welding program. After we check some of that off the list, we can start making baby plans.”

Chris pulled out his chair. “Great. So until then, let’s get this Council meeting started.”

“Right!” Wyatt looked around the ballroom to see that their other guests arrived. He coughed to get everyone’s attention. “Welcome, everyone, to the first meeting of the Magic Council. And let this be the first step that we take as a community to make the world a stronger and safer one for everyone!”

*~*

Time marched forward as the brothers’ lives took on a new sense of normalcy. They worked at their jobs, they worked with the Magic Council, they spent time with their families, and they fought the occasional demon or warlock on the side. With Seth and the Hellfire Club dead, the Underworld entered a new state of disarray that left the brothers with more time than they’ve had in years to be normal. 

Precious time that they gladly used. Wyatt and Gordon got deep into wedding planning while finding a new place to live. Chris focused on helping Bianca through her pregnancy and preparing for fatherhood. And Joey got busy finishing his book with Carver being his loudest cheerleader.

And it didn’t take too long for Joey to finish the book, which meant he got deep into the press tour stuff. His agent and publisher decided to take advantage that he was Phoebe’s nephew so they utilized “Ask Phoebe’s” national fame and her recent death to help with the marketing. Joey felt awful about using Phoebe’s name and memory like that, but Coop and the girls assured him that it was fine. 

At a popular bookstore in Manhattan, Joey stood at the podium. He had a copy of his book since it as he braced himself for his biggest book reading yet. So many people crowded the store, making him even more nervous than when he gave a reading in Chicago and Miami. To think, he would need to get ready for the Daily Show after this reading. Being an author was surreal enough, but the attention overloaded even his attention-seeking tendencies. 

Joey smiled and nodded a lot as he listened to the audience’s questions. He struggled to keep up with everything. His vision blurring as he automatically responded to a particular question about growing up with two brothers, made all the more awkward from him rushing his response. He only slowed down when his gaze shifted to spot Carver sitting in the front row.

Carver looked rather dashing in the burgundy suit that made him look more like a rockstar than a supportive husband. He gave Joey a big smile. He made his hands form a heart over his heart. “You got this,” he whispered without anyone hearing. 

Joey chuckled. He got through listening to the next person’s question while feeling his confidence returning. “So as you can tell that I’m pretty young. I don’t have that many life experiences. That's why the book is pretty split between my story and my family's story. Hence why I end the book when I married my sweet and wonderful husband, Carver.” Joey pointed at Carver. “Who is sitting right there. Hi babe.”

Carver waved, which got him some attention from the audience. 

“That's why I spend so much time talking about my fmaily,” said Joey. “By sharing their stories too, it allows the book to show the voices of many witches. Even if focused on the narrow lens of my family, you get the perspectives of witches across genders, sexual orientations, ages, and their unique experiences with magic. I hope that’s something that came across in my writing.”

“It did,” said the moderator. “Especially given how little fans of Phoebe really knew her. So it was a wonderful opportunity to learn about her trauma and life to really appreciate all the work she did with ‘Ask Phoebe’. Also, I particularly like how you opened the book with your history on your ancestor Melinda Warren. As someone from Massachusetts, it also provided a tragic glimpse of our history and how these religious and gendered panics can prove so deadly. Great question!" The moderator glanced at her watch. She turned to the audience and smiled. "And that’s all the time that we have left. So we can move onto the book signings. But first I would like to thank Joey Obeidallah-Halliwell for coming from San Francisco to join us!” The moderator led the audience in applause, which made Joey giggle as he still had to get used to all the attention.

“Thank you for having me,” said Joey as he waved to the crowd. He glanced over to Carver, blowing him a kiss. Carver blew a kiss back at him.

*~*

Not long after Joey finished his book tour, Wyatt and Gordon had their wedding. They rented out a lovely ballroom and the ceremony went off without any trouble or need for time traveling. 

In the Victorian-esque ballroom, Wyatt and Gordon had their dance as a married couple. They had the floor to themselves while John Legend’s “All of Me” played. They dressed in matching white and black suits that made them look rather dapper. 

Wyatt kissed Gordon’s forehead. “I love you, Mr. Hu-Halliwell.” 

Gordon smiled and rested his forehead on Wyatt’s chest. “I love you too, Mr. Hu-Halliwell.”

They chuckled while they continued their dance. They enjoyed the precious moment in silence while everyone else took photos and recorded the dance. 

Wyatt could see Chris snapping pictures from the corner of his eye, and next to Chris sat a very pregnant Bianca. A visit to the doctor proved Neena right as Bianca indeed was carrying twins. Meanwhile, Wyatt also noticed Joey sticking his tongue out at them with Carver rolling his eyes as he tried to get Joey to behave. Nearby, Piper and Leo cried with Xue and Michelle, while Alessandro and Cristina played with Selena.

Wyatt pulled Gordon closer. Gordon squeezed Wyatt’s waist. They slowly danced to the music until the song changed. They kept dancing while the DJ opened the dance floor to the other guests as another slow song played. They watched as things got far more crowded than before. 

All the couples in their family started to dance with them. Steve, Vinnie, Jessica, and Raja joined up with their partners too. Gordon’s sister Ashley also came onto the dance floor with her boyfriend Kevin. Tamora giggled as Glynnis spun her around. 

Paulina brought her partner, Joan, to the wedding. Paulina met Joan at their political science class with Joan later revealing that they were half-witch and half-Whitelighter too with them also identifying as non-binary. 

Hank also invited his new girlfriend, Isabel, a fellow law-student who studied family law. They hadn’t dated for long, but their relationship escalated quickly, opening the possibility that they could have a real future together.

PJ classically didn’t bring a date for the wedding since she liked keeping herself open. But that didn’t stop her from joining everyone on the dance floor as she dragged Coop with her so that they could have a father-daughter dance. While Coop showed signs of no longer grieving for Phoebe, his heart hadn’t fully mended just yet which meant he still needed PJ and Paulina for emotional support.

As Wyatt and Gordon kept dancing, they heard a delightful squeal. They looked to see Alessandro hand Selena over to them. Wyatt and Gordon beamed with joy too as Gordon carried Selena now. Selena wore an equally adorable white dress to match her dads and surprisingly behaved better than they expected a kid nearing the terrible twos. 

Wyatt had a hand wrapped around Gordon’s back while also holding Selena’s hand. He had the biggest grin on his face as he knew that he would treasure this moment forever. But it also made him all the more excited to make his family a little bigger when Gordon and he decided to have another kid. 

*~*

Not long after the wedding, Bianca finally had the twins. The Halliwell family instantly grew by two with the births of Noelle Lola Rojas-Halliwell and Matthew Tomas Rojas-Halliwell. Wyatt and Joey so selflessly sacrificed their middle names for Chris to name his kids. Not that they could’ve said no to their niece and nephew. 

Parenthood proved exhausting for Chris and Bianca, especially with twins. They gladly welcomed all the help that everyone offered and also hired the Elf nanny Ydria. Surprisingly, Ydria didn’t put up a fight in working with the Halliwells again despite the grief she gave Piper and Leo. 

A month after the twins’ birth and the exhausted parents regaining some sleep, they decided to finally have the Wiccaning. 

The family gathered at Halliwell manor once more to bathe the twins with goodness and love.

While waiting on everyone, Chris made his way into the attic. He slowly flipped through the Book of Shadows. He glanced through the entries on demons, magical beings, spells, and potions until he found what he wanted. Like their mom and aunts, the brothers decided to add personal entries into the Book. They wrote brief reflections of their time as the Charmed Ones and struggles so that future generations of Halliwells could know better. 

Chris brushed aside tears as he thought of his kids someday reading the entry. 

“I feel like I never see you!” Joey cried as footsteps echoed from the stairs. Soon, Joey and Wyatt entered the attic. “You guys live so far.” 

Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Calm down, Joe. We live in Oakland, not Egypt!”

Joey huffed. “Might as well be the same thing.” 

A week before the wedding, Wyatt and Selena moved out of the manor. Wyatt and Gordon rented a cute townhouse in Oakland since Gordon got a software development job there. As for Wyatt, the dealer he worked for had a shop near their townhouse so he transferred over to make the transition even easier. While heartbreaking for Piper and Leo and Gordon’s parents, it worked out for Veronica’s parents now since it shortened the commute a little. 

Chris chuckled as he closed the book. “This day isn’t about you. It’s about my kids. So stop acting like children and start acting like super uncles!” Wyatt and Joey, dramatically, gasped from Chris’s critique. 

Joey wanted to glare at Chris but decided to play nice for today. He focused his attention on Chris standing so close to the Book of Shadows. “What’s wrong, big bro? You got a demon for us to fight?”

Wyatt noticed Chris’s proximity to the Book now too. “Great. Is Barbas finally making his move on us? I should’ve known that he’d pick the most inconvenient time to strike.”

“No. It has nothing to do with Barbas.” Chris ran his hands against the Book. “No. I’m just feeling a little nostalgic. Thinking about our adventures. Thinking that maybe my kids will pick up where we left off.”

Joey nodded. “All you need is one more kid then boom! You’re the father of the next Charmed Ones. It's a scary thought.”

“They’ll be fine if that happens.” Wyatt patted Chris’s back. “They’ll have a great dad and mom to teach them the ropes. Plus, they got plenty of awesome uncles looking out for them!”

“Damn right!” said Joey.

Chris smiled. “You’re right. I shouldn’t worry so much. I need to enjoy where things are at now and not focus so much on the future.” Chris walked away from the Book while grabbing onto Wyatt’s arm. “Alright! To the Wiccaning!”

“To the Wiccaning!” cheered Wyatt.

“Yay!” Joey started to follow them but stopped himself. He glanced at Chris then turned back to the Book of Shadows. A thought crossed his mind and figured he should give it a try.

Joey touched the Book of Shadows and pressed his premonition, hoping to trigger a vision that might give him a glimpse of what to expect. While forcing premonition typically didn’t work out so well for the witch in question, Joey figured so long as he kept things to himself that things would work out fine. His body tensed up and a faint image played before his mind.

_In the premonition, Joey could see much older versions of himself and his brothers standing in the attic. They had some gray in their hair, Chris grew out a beard, Wyatt shaved his hair even shorter, and Joey got a little thicker. The older versions of them stood in the attic while across from them stood a boy and two girls in their late teens or early twenties. The youngest girl held the Book of Shadows, while the boy and older girl surrounded the younger girl. The boy and the younger girl looked more like Chris, while the older girl looked more like Bianca._

_The older Chris smiled and brushed aside his tears. “My babies.” He sighed. “It’s your time now. You’re ready to be the Charmed Ones.”_

_Chris’s kids smiled and nodded as they began to recite the Dominus Trinus._

The vision ended. Joey grinned as he moved his hand from the Book of Shadows. He knew now that the future would remain in good hands, which is all that he wanted. He ran out of the attic to catch up to his brothers as they joined their family in the sunroom. 

There, they found their large family gathered for the Wiccaning. Bianca carried Matthew, while Leo had Noelle. The twins looked like a mix of Chris and Bianca. Matthew had Bianca’s hair and eye color but had Chris’s skin tone. While Noelle had Bianca’s skin color and Chris’s hair and eye color. Leo passed Noelle to Chris as everyone took their positions. Piper recited the spell and called upon the matriarchs once more for the twins’ blessing.

Sparks of light filled the manor as the spirits of the Halliwell witches gathered. Their smiling faces brought warmth and joy.

Piper had Chris and Bianca carry the twins since she couldn’t carry them both. She held onto their tiny hands. “The next generation of our family continues to grow. We are blessed to welcome two more children into our family. Our legacy. We pledge to be with these children. This beautiful girl and beautiful boy always. Apart but never separate. Free but never alone. They are one of us, and because of that, we will bless them with all of the goodness that we are.” Piper kissed Matthew and Noelle’s hands. “Welcome to the family, Noelle Lola Rojas-Halliwell and Matthew Tomas Rojas-Halliwell. Blessed be!”

“Blessed be!” cheered everyone.

“Blessed be!” screamed Selena, which made everyone giggle. 

The visiting Matriarchs began to fade and slowly left from the front door of the manor. 

Meanwhile, on the staircase, the spirits of Phoebe, Veronica, and even Mark stood there. They remained hidden from view but watched everyone closely. 

Chris and Bianca bounced Matthew and Noelle in their arms. Piper and Leo went into full grandparent mode. Selena pulled herself out of Gordon’s arms because she wanted to play with the twins, but Wyatt luckily caught her before she fell. Coop laughed with Henry and Paige. Tamora and Glynnis led some to the kitchen with the promise of cake. PJ, Paulina, Joan, Hank, and Isabel ran to the kitchen to get some cake. Kyra and Billie chatted, while Prue and Patty helped Victor to his feet so that he could get his chance to spend time with his great-grandchildren as Penny made fun of Victor for growing so old. And Joey pulled Carver aside to share a kiss. 

Phoebe chuckled as she watched her messy family. She turned to Veronica and Mark. Veronica cried as she stared at Selena, but also bore a happy smile. As for Mark, he smiled too as he was glad that Joey found someone as great as Carver.

“Are we ready?” Phoebe asked, softly. Veronica and Mark nodded. They joined hands with Phoebe as they transformed into tiny orbs of light. 

Behind them, they covered the wall of family photos which also included a new picture of Chris’s family after Bianca gave birth to the twins. Their lights flew towards the front door as they joined the departing lights of the Halliwell matriarchs. Their orbs passed the photograph of Chris, Wyatt, and Joey from Chris’s 18th birthday party: where Chris had a fake smile as he sat between his brothers, Wyatt gave Chris bunny ears, and Joey kissed Chris's cheek. 

Phoebe, Veronica, and Mark’s souls left Halliwell Manor and returned to the Afterlife with the front door slowly closing behind them.


End file.
